Amy Coney Barrett on Sept. 26, 2020 (C-SPAN video screenshot)
The Senate Judiciary Committee unanimously endorsed Judge Amy Coney Barrett as the next justice on the U.S. Supreme Court on Thursday, and a full Senate vote is expected within days.
The vote was 12-0, with every Democrat boycotting the committee in a stunt to continue their campaign against Barrett, whom they fear eventually could vote against abortion rights, or Obamacare requirements, or another of their agenda points.
Typically under ordinary procedures, a committee quorum is needed, including at least a representation of the minority party, in this case the Democrats.
But Chairman Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., called for the vote and then announced the unanimous decision would be reported to the full Senate.
Democrats have argued that the nomination procedure is improper, rushed, and even unconstitutional, even though even the late, far-left Ruth Ginsburg, whose high court seat Barrett is expected to fill, said a president is elected for a full four years, and not just three, and has a constitutional duty to nominate a court replacement when a vacancy occurs.
Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell said this week, "With regard to the Supreme Court justices, as I think you've already written, we'll be voting to confirm justice-to-be Barrett next Monday."
"I think that will be another signature accomplishment in our effort to put on the courts, the federal courts, men and women who believe in the quaint notion that maybe the job of a judge is to actually follow the law."
Barrett has been given the highest recommendation possible by the American Bar Association and arrived for her nomination hearing with virtually no significant opposition, except for the political agenda Democrats have against her.
She answered senators' questions for hours, analyzing their legal points and responding to all inquiries except she would not make promises about how she would vote on particular issues.
President Trump's nomination of Barrett was another affirmation of his commitment, made during his first election campaign, to appoint constitutionally based judges to the federal court benches. His earlier appointments, Brett Kavanaugh and Neil Gorsuch, also are recognized as judges who generally rule from the text of the Constitution, not their political agendas, as did Ginsburg.
She was the deciding vote in the decision a few years ago to create the "right" to same-sex marriage, in a ruling that Chief Justice John Roberts called unconnected to the Constitution.
When Barrett was nominated just a few years ago to an appeals court bench, Sen. Dianne Feinstein, D-Calif., infamously told her that her religious beliefs could disqualify her, warning that her "dogma" "lives loudly" within her.
Feinstein, and other Democrats, faced criticism for trying to impose an unconstitutional faith test on Barrett, at the time.
But Feinstein did it again this nomination, although not openly.
A microphone picked up the senator during a break in Barrett's Supreme Court confirmation hearing discussing the fact that the judge's opposition to abortion is based on her Roman Catholic faith.
In 2017, Feinstein told Barrett of her concern that "the dogma lives loudly within you," prompting outrage because the Constitution forbids any religious test for federal office.
This time, Feinstein was heard saying, apparently regarding Barrett: "She's been pro-life for a long time. So I suspect with her, it is deeply personal and comes with her religion."
Sen. Feinstein hot mic talking about Judge Amy Coney Barrett: “She’s been pro-life for a long time. So I suspect with her, it is deeply personal and comes with her religion.” pic.twitter.com/5dUBhHLQsn
— Tré Goins-Phillips (@tregp) October 15, 2020
Sen. Josh Hawley, R-Mo., reacted on Twitter: "Gotta love those hot mics."
The Gateway Pundit noted that Sen. Dick Durbin, D-Ill., recently accused Barrett of being an "orthodox Catholic."
A statement from Marjorie Dannenfelser, chief of the national pro-life group Susan B. Anthony List, said, "Today’s vote is an historic milestone for the pro-life movement, especially pro-life women, as Amy Barrett advances one step closer toward a seat on the nation’s highest court. In last week’s hearings, Judge Barrett’s formidable intellect and principled constitutionalist philosophy shone throughout hours of questioning. In the face of pro-abortion Democrats’ fearmongering and their media allies’ attacks on her Catholic faith, she showed grace and dignity. There is no question Barrett is exceptionally qualified to serve on the Supreme Court."
Commentator Michael Brown noted that the Democrats' attacks on Barrett reached even the extreme of Sen. Mazie Hirono's berating Barrett for using the term "sexual preference."
The Hawaii Democrat claimed that was an "offensive" term, stating that it suggested sexual orientation was a choice, a fact that has been confirmed even by members of the LGBTQ community.
Brown explained, "What we can say is this: 1) the vast majority of those who identify as LGBTQ truly believe that this is who they are and that change is impossible; 2) their sexual desires and romantic attractions are, in fact, deeply rooted in their lives; 3) but it is entirely their choice (or preference) to identify as LGBTQ and to act on their perceived sexual orientation."
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