WASHINGTON (AP) – Overpowering Democratic opposition, Senate Republicans confirmed Amy Coney Barrett to the Supreme Court, securing President Donald Trump’s nominee a week before Election Day and a likely conservative court majority for years to come.
Trump’s choice to fill the vacancy of the late liberal icon Ruth Bader Ginsburg opens a new era of rulings on abortion, the Affordable Care Act and even a potential dispute over his own election.
Democrats were unable to stop Monday’s outcome, Trump’s third justice to the court, as Republicans raced to reshape the judiciary.
Barrett is 48, and her confirmation solidifies the court’s rightward tilt.
Monday’s vote was the closest high court confirmation ever to a presidential election, and the first in modern times with no support from the minority party. The spiking COVID-19 crisis hung over the proceedings.
Vice President Mike Pence’s office said Monday he would not preside at the Senate session unless his tie-breaking vote was needed after Democrats asked him to stay away when his aides tested positive for COVID-19.
Trump is expected to celebrate with a swearing-in event at the White House after the late-evening vote. Justice Clarence Thomas is expected to administer the Constitutional Oath.
