Senate Judiciary Committee approves Judge Barrett's nomination to SC, Democrats boycott

WASHINGTON: The powerful Senate Judiciary Committee on Thursday confirmed the nomination of Judge Amy Coney Barrett to the Supreme Court with the opposition Democrats boycotting the voting process.

All 12 Republicans on the committee voted to advance the nomination, while all 10 Democrats boycotted the vote.

Democratic senators argue that Republicans should not push through a confirmation vote to install Trump's nominee to replace the late Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg just days before the election.

Never has the Senate confirmed a Supreme Court nominee so close to a presidential election. Instead of attending, the Democrats displayed large photographs of people who rely on the Affordable Care Act for their health care in front of their empty chairs at the meeting.

Democrats have raised concerns that Barrett would vote to overturn the ACA if confirmed to the court, given her previous criticism of a ruling upholding the law.

President Donald Trump described it as a "big day".

"Judiciary Committee approves Judge Barrett. Moves to full Senate for a final vote. Big day for America!" Trump tweeted.

Judiciary Committee approves Judge Barrett. Moves to full Senate for final vote. Big day for America!

— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) October 22, 2020

Later in the night, he is scheduled to share the stage in Nashville, Tennessee with his Democratic challenger Joe Biden for the final presidential debate. Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Senate Lindsay Graham called it a "groundbreaking, historic moment" for the American legal community.

Graham said that it was Democrats' "choice" to boycott the vote, but "we're not going to allow them to take over the committee."

"They made a choice not to participate after allowing Judge Barrett for days, two days to be questioned. I thought she did an exceptionally good job of handling the questions asked. I thought she was aggressively challenged but not inappropriately," he said.

Supporting Judge Barrett, Senator Chuck Grassley said that she has the temperament and humility they expect of a judge.

"She approaches cases without bias or agenda. Most importantly, she understands that a judge should interpret 'not make' the law," he said.

"She was thorough, candid, and forthright at the hearing. But when pressed on how she might rule in a case, Judge Barrett properly applied the Ginsburg Rule. She demonstrated her independence by not showing hints, previews, or forecasts," he said.

"Judge Barrett clearly respects precedent, and she practices judicial restraint. Her judicial method is rigorous and exacting, but fair and open-minded," Grassley said.

The nomination now moves to the Senate floor, which is likely to take a vote on it on Monday, giving a big political victory to the Republican Party and President Trump before the November 3 presidential elections.