Confirmed: Amy Coney Barrett

Washington, DC: Monday, with a clearly partisan vote 52-48, saw the bitterly divided United States Senate confirm Amy Coney Barrett to fill the Supreme Court vacancy left by the late Ruth Bader Ginsburg. Ginsburg, who died on Friday, 18 September 2020, was seen by many Americans as a liberal icon.

“The American people will never forget this blatant act of bad faith," Senate Minority Leader Charles E. Schumer (D-N.Y.) said shortly before the vote. "They will never forget your complete disregard for their voices, for the people standing in line right now voting their choice, not your choice."

Sen. Susan Collins (R-ME) was the only GOP senator not to vote favourably for Barrett. Collins, confirming her reason for not voting along party lines, stressed the “no” vote reflects her disagreement with Barrett's confirmation amid a presidential campaign. The Maine senator's attitude mirrors former United States Vice President and Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden:

Even though Sen. Lisa Murkowski (R-AK) had previously not supported Barrett during the confirmation hearings, when push came to shove, the senior United States Senator from Alaska seemingly buckled to party pressure.

Shortly thereafter, in what could be described as a prime-time event, the confirmed federal judge took the Justice Clarence Thomas administered Constitutional Oath.

Barrett, after being sworn in, took a moment to assure Americans she will execute her job on the court “independently” from political branches.

"It is your constitution that establishes the rule of law and the judicial independence that is so central to it," Barrett said. "The oath I have solemnly taken tonight means at its core I will do my job without any fear or favour and that I will do so independently of both the political branches and my own preferences."

President Donald J. Trump, stating “her impeccable credentials were unquestioned, unchallenged, and obvious to all,” praised the decision to elevate Barrett to the Supreme Court.

Barrett, remembering both Neil Gorsuch and Brett Kavanaugh occupy Supreme Court seats, is the third Trump nominated federal judge confirmed to the highest American judicial body. Barrett, now the 115th Supreme Court Justice, is only the fifth woman to serve on the nation’s highest court.

The Supreme Court, with six out of nine justices having been nominated by Republican presidents, is now dominated by a conservative mindset. A Jenna Ellis written Trump campaign statement, issued after Barrett's confirmation, immediately set liberal alarm bells ringing. The statement:

"Justice Amy Coney Barrett is a reminder to millions of Americans why they voted for President Trump in the first place. She is now the third solid, conservative Justice appointed to the Supreme Court by the President and she will apply the Constitution and not turn the Court into a super legislature."

Whilst Ellis observes the Barrett confirmation highlights reasons many people voted for Trump, remembering how more Americans voted for Hillary Rodham Clinton, it also tells us why the current president lost the popular vote. The previous Presidential Election, held on Tuesday, 8 November 2016, saw Clinton defeat Trump by an estimated 2,868,686 votes.

Barrett, on Tuesday, 27 October 2020, took the Judicial Oath. Administered by Chief Justice John R. Roberts, Jr., in a private ceremony, the second oath taking was a somewhat low-key affair. The second ceremony took place in the East Conference Room of the court.

All Supreme Court justices, except Justice Stephen Breyer, participated in the ceremony. Breyer listened by phone from his home in Cambridge. All ceremony attendees, in addition to wearing masks, observed appropriate social distancing measures. Barrett, 48, begins her tenure as associate justice of the Supreme Court a week before Election Day.