President Donald Trump on Sunday said the confirmation of Amy Coney Barrett to the Supreme Court will be done quickly and easily before the November election.
There is a “tremendous amount of time” for her nomination, the president said on Sunday.
“I think we could have it done easily before the election,” he told Fox News, adding that they were “going to try and have it done quickly,“ while saying, “I think she’ll be confirmed.”
The president unveiled Barrett as his choice for the Supreme Court on Saturday at the White House, coming about eight days after Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg died at age 87.
Democrats, in the interim, have strongly criticized Trump and GOP senators for trying to replace Ginsburg, saying that the winner of the next election should do so. GOP senators and the White House responded by saying it is Trump’s constitutionally-mandated duty.
Barrett on Saturday said she would “faithfully and impartially discharge” her duties under the Constitution if she is confirmed to the Supreme Court. “I pledge to discharge the responsibilities of this job to the very best of my ability,” Barrett said. “I love the United States and I love the United States Constitution.”
She also praised Ginsburg, saying, “should I be confirmed, I will be mindful of who came before me.” Barrett also praised former Justice Antonin Scalia, whom she had worked for before his death in 2016, saying, “His judicial philosophy is mine too: A judge must apply the law as written. Judges are not policymakers and they must be resolute in setting aside any policy views they might hold.”
Democrats over the weekend began asserting in unison that Barrett would dismantle the Affordable Care Act, known as Obamacare.
“She has a written track record of disagreeing with the U.S. Supreme Court’s decision upholding the Affordable Care Act,” Democratic nominee Joe Biden, the former vice president under President Barack Obama, said in a statement. “She critiqued Chief Justice John Roberts’ majority opinion upholding the law in 2012.”
“President Trump has been trying to throw out the Affordable Care Act for four years. Republicans have been trying to end it for a decade. Twice, the U.S. Supreme Court upheld the law as constitutional,” he added.
Meanwhile, Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) said Barrett’s confirmation could be done by the end of October.
A final vote could be held on Oct. 26, he predicted.
“I hope to get her out of the committee by the 26th of October,” he said. “That will allow us to follow the normal rules of the committee, and that would be up to Mitch McConnell what to do after that. But we’ll start on the 12th. We’ll have four days of hearings, then we’ll hold over the nomination for a week, consistent with the rules of the Judiciary Committee. And hopefully, we’ll come to the floor around the 26th, and that will be up to Mitch McConnell,” the Senate majority leader.
