Senate debates imminent confirmation of Judge Barrett

By Lisa Mascaro and Mary Clare Jalonick - AP

The Senate opened a rare weekend session on Saturday as Republicans accelerate to place Justice Amy Coney Barrett on the Supreme Court and

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Democrats try to slow down the process, but the party has no realistic chance of stopping Barrett's advance in the Republican-controlled chamber.

Barrett, a judge on the federal appeals court, is expected to be confirmed Monday and quickly join the court.

[This is Amy Coney Barrett, nominated by Trump for the Supreme Court: she is in favor of the public charge rule and against abortion]

Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Kentucky, defended his handling of the process.

"Our past debates have been heated, but there is

said McConnell, who said she was one of the most "impressive" nominees "for public office" in a generation. "

The fast-track confirmation process is unprecedented in American history, just days before the presidential election.

Democrats call it a "sham" and say the winner of the Nov. 3 election should name the candidate to fill the vacancy left by the late Judge Ruth Bader Ginsburg.

Democratic leader Chuck Schumer, senator from New York, warned Republicans that

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[Is the right to abortion in jeopardy with Justice Barrett on the Supreme Court?

The majority of citizens support keeping it]

As the country suffers a second wave of the coronavirus pandemic, Democrats are expected to force a series of votes on a new economic relief package throughout this Saturday.

Judge Barrett's controversial response to the case that legalized abortion

Oct. 14, 202002: 50

Barrett's confirmation would leave the country's highest court with a 6-3 conservative majority.

Senators will continue in session this Saturday and Sunday.

Barrett, 48, appeared publicly before the Senate Judiciary Committee as neutral on abortion cases, the Affordable Care Act and presidential power - issues that will soon face the court.

At one point he remembered, "It's not Amy's law."

[Justice Barrett's confirmation for the Supreme Court is not unconstitutional as Biden said]

But Barrett's earlier anti-abortion writings and an Obama-era health care law ruling

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Trump declared this week that he expects the Supreme Court to repeal the health law when the justices accept the challenge on November 10, a week after the election.

The fast-track confirmation process is unprecedented in US history just days before the election.

Democratic leader Chuck Schumer, a senator from New York, called it the "least legitimate process in the history of the country."

Republicans responded that the process is not accelerating.

Sen. John Cornyn, Republican of Texas, called the loss tactics "frivolous."

Early in Trump's term, McConnell engineered a Senate rule change to allow confirmation by a majority of 100 senators, rather than the 60-vote threshold traditionally needed.

With a 53-47 Republican majority, Barrett's confirmation is almost certain.

[This senator tells the "painful" story of how abortion saved his wife's life]

Most Republicans support Barrett's confirmation.

Only Republican Senator Susan Collins of Maine has said she won't vote for her this close to the presidential election.

Sen. Lisa Murkowski, R-Alaska, stated at first that she would rather not vote before the election.

But in a statement Thursday, Murkowski said that now that the process is moving forward, the decision to vote to confirm Barrett must be made individually by each senator.

Full Speech: Amy Coney Barrett Accepts Supreme Court Nomination

Sept.

26, 202008: 00

Republicans on the Judiciary Committee pushed for Barrett's nomination on Thursday even though Democrats boycotted the vote.

[Judge Barrett refuses to condemn the separation of migrant families at the border: "It is an intense political debate"]

Sen. Lindsey Graham, chair of the committee, acknowledged the partisan nature of the proceedings, but said he could not live with himself if the Senate did not confirm such an exceptional candidate.

and for people with strong religious beliefs.

Democrats called the process "bogus" and claimed that Barrett would undo much of what liberal icon Ginsburg accomplished.

In trying to derail or at least delay Barrett's confirmation, Democrats argue that the winner of the presidential election should decide who replaces Ginsburg.

[President Trump attends Judge Ginsburg's tribute and is greeted with boos: "Get him out with the vote!"]

Barrett was a professor at Notre Dame Law School when Trump appointed her in 2017 to the opening of an appeals court.

Two Democrats joined at the time to confirm her, but neither is expected to vote for her in the next few days.

During the three days of testimony and subsequent presentations to the Senate committee, Barrett refused to answer basic questions for senators, such as whether the president can change the date of the federal election, which is set by law.

Instead, he vowed to accept cases as they were.

With information from AP.