Senate Democrats are coming together to express their opposition to Judge Amy Coney Barrett’s nomination to the Supreme Court as Republicans advanced her nomination to a full Senate vote.
On Democrats boycotting the vote on Thursday in the Senate Judiciary Committee to advance the nomination, Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) said, “Democrats will not lend a single ounce of legitimacy to this awful, awful hearing.”
“We are voting with our feet,” he declared. “We are standing together, and we are standing against this unprecedented mad rush to jam through a Supreme Court nomination just days, days before an election.”
If Barrett is confirmed it would be the closest nomination of a Supreme Court nominee to the presidential election.
See Schumer’s remarks below:
Sen. Chuck Schumer on boycott of Barrett vote: "Democrats will not lend a single ounce of legitimacy to this awful, awful hearing. We are voting with our feet." https://t.co/Nah1sQukhE pic.twitter.com/7C6T9H0FHG
— This Week (@ThisWeekABC) October 22, 2020
Dianne Feinstein, ranking Dem on Judiciary, reminds everyone that Republicans blocked Obama’s SCOTUS pick, Merrick Garland, for 10 months in 2016 because, they argued, it was a presidential election year.
“Now, however, Republicans are proceeding regardless.” pic.twitter.com/10GAWd1hSj
— Jennifer Bendery (@jbendery) October 22, 2020
"She didn't have the courage to stand up to President Trump and say she would not be a lackey of his when it came to an election contest," Sen. Durbin says of Amy Coney Barrett. pic.twitter.com/VZtuAPUb89
— Jennifer Bendery (@jbendery) October 22, 2020
All 12 Republicans on the committee voted Thursday to advance Barrett’s nomination, with zero votes from Democrats as they boycotted it, as IJR reported.
"We did it. We did it. Judge Barrett's going to the floor."
— ABC News (@ABC) October 22, 2020
Sen. Lindsey Graham speaks after the Senate Judiciary Committee unanimously voted to advance the nomination of Judge Amy Coney Barrett. Democrats boycotted the vote. https://t.co/7Oge8WpTSS pic.twitter.com/czYzTUhz7R
Instead of attending the vote, Democrats had poster boards of photos of people who would be affected if the Affordable Care Act were struck down by the Supreme Court.
See the photo below:
Democrats are boycotting the illegitimate markup of Judge Barrett’s nomination in Judiciary.
— Chuck Schumer (@SenSchumer) October 22, 2020
We are not going to have business as usual while the Republicans try to use an illegitimate process to jam through a nominee to rip away health care from millions. https://t.co/fEgIXtGW7n
Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.), the committee chairman, said on Thursday, “As you know our Democratic colleagues informed the committee last night that they will not participate in the hearing, that was their choice. It will be my choice to vote the nominee out of committee. We’re not going to allow them to take over the committee.”
President Donald Trump also weighed in on the Senate Judiciary Committee’s vote, tweeting Thursday, “Judiciary Committee approves Judge Barrett. Moves to full Senate for final vote. Big day for America!”