Monday night, the Senate reached a 52-48 vote confirming nominee Amy Coney Barrett as the next Supreme Court Justice. Conservatives now hold a 6-3 majority in the Supreme Court.
She was sworn in later that night by Justice Clarence Thomas.
Barrett’s confirmation has been opposed mainly by Democrats. Senate majority leader Mitch McConnell had blocked Barack Obama’s nomination for a Supreme Court Justice after Scalia died months before the 2016 election. However, the day that Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg died, the GOP had already begun looking for her replacement. It was the late Justice’s wish to not have her seat filled before the election. However, in a little over a month, Trump was able to nominate Barrett, who would later be confirmed.
Among the cases that await Barrett are granting a New York prosecutor access to eight years worth of Trump tax returns and hearing a case about a 15-week abortion ban that was signed into law by former Mississippi Gov. Phil Bryant in 2018. The latter case could potentially infringe on the right to abortion protected in Roe v. Wade.
Barrett has never tried a case, never argued an appeal, never argued before the Supreme Court, and hadn’t even served as a judge until 2017. But sure, she’s qualified for the job.
