by Dan McCaleb
The Senate Judiciary Committee on Thursday voted to advance U.S. Supreme Court nominee Amy Coney Barrett to the full Senate.
The vote was 12-0, with all 10 Democratic members of the committee choosing to boycott the vote.
A full Senate confirmation vote is expected Monday.
President Donald Trump last month nominated Barrett to fill the seat of Justice Ruth Bader Ginsberg, who died at the age of 87 from complications of metastatic pancreatic cancer.
If confirmed, as is expected in the Republican-controlled chamber, Barrett would strengthen the conservative majority on the bench to 6-3.
Barrett, 48, currently serves on the 7th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in Chicago, a position to which Trump appointed her.
Four years ago, Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell blocked Democratic President Barack Obama’s nomination of liberal Merrick Garland from filling the late Antonin Scalia’s seat on the Supreme Court during a presidential election year, saying voters should be given the choice of who should pick the nominee.
This time, with a Republican in the White House, McConnell said he would hold a confirmation vote, angering Democrats.
Despite the boycott, Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Kentucky, said he would not let Democrats sabotage the vote.
“They made a choice not to participate,” McConnell said.
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Dan McCaleb is the executive editor of The Center Square. He welcomes your comments. Contact Dan at [email protected].
Photo “Amy Coney Barrett” by Rachel Malehorn. CC BY 3.0.
