Just 30 days after President Donald Trump nominated Judge Amy Coney Barrett to the Supreme Court, the Republican-controlled Senate has voted to confirm his third nominee to the high court in just four years.
On Monday night, the Senate voted 52-48 in favor of Barrett’s nomination. All but one Republican senator voted to confirm Barrett and every Democrat voted in opposition.
Her confirmation makes history as the closest confirmation vote to a presidential election in American history. And with her addition to the Supreme Court, there will be a 6-3 conservative majority that could affect the balance of the court for years to come.
The White House was expected to hold a swearing-in event after her confirmation on Monday night, as IJR reported. Supreme Court Associate Justice Clarence Thomas is slated to administer the oath of office to her.
Watch the vote below:
LIVE –> U.S. Senate: Confirmation Vote for U.S. Supreme Court Nominee Judge Amy Coney Barrett https://t.co/4x0qZJhUfx https://t.co/rhDI7JW0JM
— CSPAN (@cspan) October 26, 2020
With Republicans’ 53-seat majority, there was little doubt about the outcome of her nomination as senators lined up in support of Barrett.
However, Sen. Susan Collins (R-Maine) announced that she would vote against Barrett’s nomination, she said, “When the Senate considers nominees to the United States Supreme Court, it is particularly important that we act fairly and consistently, using the same set of rules, no matter which political party is in power.”
Collins continued to say that she believes the winner of the Nov. 3 presidential election should be allowed to nominate the late-Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg’s successor.
“Because this vote is occurring prior to the election, I will vote against the nomination of Judge Amy Coney Barrett. To be clear, my vote does not reflect any conclusion that I have reached about Judge Barrett’s qualifications to serve on the Supreme Court. What I have concentrated on is being fair and consistent, and I do not think it is fair nor consistent to have a Senate confirmation vote prior to the election,” Collins said.
With her confirmation, Barrett will be seated on the Supreme Court in time to hear arguments in a high-profile case regarding the Affordable Care Act (ACA), which could determine the healthcare law’s fate.
While Democrats raised concerns that Barrett would provide a crucial vote to overturn the ACA, she testified in her confirmation hearings that, “I am not hostile to the ACA, I’m not hostile to any statute that you pass.”
“I am not here on a mission to destroy the Affordable Care Act,” Barrett said, adding, “I’m just here to apply the law and adhere to the rule of law.”
During her confirmation hearings, she refused to answer questions about any potential cases regarding the election or the landmark abortion ruling, Roe v. Wade.