Amy Coney Barrett could soon be appointed to the Supreme Court of the United States. (Reuters)
Washington (Reuters):
President Donald Trump plans to appoint Conservative Federal Court of Appeal Judge Amy Coney Barrett on Saturday to fill the vacant US Supreme Court post created by the death of Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg, two sources said Friday .
His move, which comes a week after the liberal icon’s death at 87, sets the stage for what promises to be a fierce confirmation fight in the US Senate, controlled by Trump’s Republican colleagues. Trump has asked Senate Republicans to confirm his candidate ahead of the Nov. 3 US election, as he seeks a second term and Democrats aim to take control of the chamber.
Barrett, 48, was appointed by Trump to the 7th Chicago U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in 2017 and is known for her conservative religious views. The judges of the Supreme Court are appointed for life.
If confirmed by the Senate, she would become the fifth woman to sit on the High Court while expanding her Tory majority to a solid 6-3.
Trump is planning a formal presentation at the White House on Saturday. Two sources confirmed on Friday that Trump was planning to appoint Barrett, but warned that Trump may change his mind. Trump himself told reporters on Friday he made his decision, but declined to say who his choice was.
Barrett has always been considered one of the favorites, alongside fellow Federal Court of Appeal judge Barbara Lagoa. Barrett previously served as the clerk of the Supreme Court’s Conservative Justice Antonin Scalia, who died in 2016.
Trump said he did not meet Lagoa on a campaign trip to Florida.
As an appellate judge, Barrett has defended conservative legal positions on key issues outstanding in three years on the bench, showing his support for extended gun rights and Trump’s tough immigration policy while strengthening the rights of students accused of sexual assault on campus.
Abortion rights groups have expressed concern that in Supreme Court Barrett could help reverse the landmark 1973 Roe v. Wade who legalized abortion nationwide.
A clear path
Trump’s candidate has what appears to be a clear path to Senate confirmation, with Republicans holding a 53-to-47 majority in the chamber and only two senators from his party saying they are opposed to continuing the process.
Democrats objected to the Senate acting on Trump’s candidate in light of Republicans in the chamber in 2016 to refuse to consider Democratic Presidential candidate Barack Obama to replace Scalia after his death in a presidential election year.
A Reuters / Ipsos poll found that a majority of Americans believe the winner of the November election should be able to name Ginsburg’s successor.
Ginsburg, a champion of gender equality and various liberal causes, made history again Friday as the first woman and first Jewish person to lie in the U.S. Capitol State. Democratic presidential candidate Joe Biden attended the ceremony a day after Trump was greeted with mocking and boos by a nearby crowd as he visited Ginsburg’s flag-draped casket outside the Ginsburg building. the Supreme Court.
Trump said this week that he believed the Supreme Court would be called upon to rule on the outcome of the election, which has only happened once in American history, in 2000.
“I think it’s very important that we have nine judges,” Trump said Wednesday.
Trump has repeatedly said without evidence that postal voting, a long-standing feature of US politics, could lead to an increase in voter fraud.
Abortion, firearms and voting rights
Barrett would be his third Supreme Court appointment. Like Trump’s other two conservative appointments, Neil Gorsuch in 2017 and Brett Kavanaugh in 2018, Barrett could potentially serve for decades, placing a conservative stamp on the Supreme Court precedent.
Court rulings wield vast influence over American life, and a strongly conservative court could limit the right to abortion, expand religious freedom, repeal gun control laws, and maintain new restrictions on the right to vote.
On November 10, the court is due to hear arguments in a major case in which Trump and his fellow Republicans seek to overturn the 2010 Affordable Care Act, known as Obamacare. If confirmed by then, the candidate could vote decisively.
The appointment could help Trump solidify a key part of his presidential legacy – making the federal judiciary conservative – while energizing his main supporters ahead of the election.
The Senate, under the US Constitution, has the power to confirm or reject judicial candidates for a president. Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell has placed a high priority on securing confirmation of Trump’s conservative judicial selections.
