Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell said the Senate will vote Monday, Oct. 26, on the Supreme Court nomination of Amy Coney Barrett, all but ensuring nine justices will be seated ahead of the Nov. 3 election.
McConnell made the announcement following a closed-door meeting with GOP lawmakers, who nearly unanimously approve of confirming Barrett despite the objections of all Democrats.
Barrett said she adheres to the judicial philosophy of the late conservative high court favorite, Justice Antonin Scalia. Scalia interpreted laws and the Constitution based on their original meaning.
Barrett’s confirmation, McConnell said, “Will be another signature accomplishment in our effort to put on the federal courts men and women who believe in the quaint notion that the job of a judge is to actually follow the law.”
The GOP-led Judiciary Committee is expected to advance Barrett’s nomination Thursday, and McConnell is likely to begin the procedural process of considering Barrett’s nomination later this week.
Democrats have warned Barrett’s nomination would shift the centrist court far to the right and are now weighing “packing” the high court with additional justices of their own choosing if the party is able to seize control of the Senate and White House in November.
Democrats say Barrett’s placement ahead of the election is aimed at ensuring Trump wins the election if the outcome is uncertain and ends up in front of the Supreme Court.
