Senate Confirms Amy Coney Barrett To Supreme Court

WASHINGTON, DC — The United States Senate has voted to confirm Judge Amy Coney Barrett to the Supreme Court.

The Monday night vote, 52-48, was almost all along party lines. The 52 senators who voted in favor of President Donald Trump's nomination are all Republicans. Forty-seven Democrats voted against Barrett, as did GOP Sen. Susan Collins of Maine.

Barrett, now a Supreme Court justice, replaces the late Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg on the nation's highest court. Ginsburg died last month at age 87 after 27 years on the court.

Lawmakers were on Capitol Hill beginning Monday morning to continue debate on Barrett's nomination. Her hearings were held two weeks ago and the Senate Judiciary Committee voted Friday in favor of advancing her nomination to the full Senate.

A simple majority by the Senate was necessary to confirm Barrett. It's a confirmation that comes just eight days before the Nov. 3 presidential election.

The 48-year-old appellate judge’s confirmation secures a conservative court majority for the foreseeable future, potentially opening a new era of rulings on abortion, gay marriage and the Affordable Care Act.

A case against the Obama-era health law is scheduled to be heard Nov. 10.

The Barrett vote is the closest high court confirmation ever to a presidential election, and the first in modern times with no support from the minority party. The spiking COVID-19 crisis has hung over the proceedings.

“This is something to be really proud of and feel good about,” Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell said during a rare weekend session Sunday ahead of voting. He scoffed at the “apocalyptic” warnings from critics that the judicial branch was becoming mired in partisan politics and declared that "they won’t be able to do much about this for a long time to come.”

Watch a replay of the Senate vote in the video player above or on the C-SPAN YouTube channel.

The Associated Press contributed reporting.