Amy Coney Barrett Confirmed To Supreme Court, Cementing 6-3 Conservative Majority

The Senate confirmed Trump nominee Amy Coney Barrett to the Supreme Court on Monday evening in a 52-48 vote. Sen. Susan Collins of Maine was the only Republican to vote against the confirmation.

Barrett replaces Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg, who was considered to be a member of the court’s liberal wing. Ginsburg died from pancreatic cancer on Sept. 18 at the age of 87.

The move to replace Ginsburg with Barrett drew controversy. In 2016, President Barack Obama nominated Merrick Garland to the court after the passing of Justice Antonin Scalia. The GOP-majority Senate sat on the nomination, with conservative senators arguing that the body should not vote on a nominee in an election year. Garland’s nomination was thrown out after Trump took office in January 2017, with Neil Gorsuch filling the seat.

Barrett was sworn in to the court in a White House ceremony. Her addition to the court cements a 6-3 conservative majority, having a consequential impact on issues such as voting rights and health care.

Democrats have spoken out against Barrett’s nomination, emphasizing that her addition to the court would put the Affordable Care Act (ACA) in jeopardy. On Nov. 10, the court is expected to hear a challenge to the ACA, with the body also likely playing a role in the presidential election.

Barrett considers herself to be an originalist and models her judicial philosophy after Scalia. A devout Catholic, she has seven children and hails from South Bend, Indiana.

If Democratic nominee Joe Biden wins the presidential election next week, and the Democrats take the Senate, there is the option of expanding the Supreme Court to make it more ideologically even. Biden has pledged to form a bipartisan commission to propose changes to the court as president.