WASHINGTON: US President Donald Trump’s Supreme Court nominee Amy Coney Barrett said she was “truly honoured and humbled” following her confirmation on Monday (Oct 26).Trump hailed Barrett’s confirmation as “a momentous day for America,” in a ceremony coming just eight days before the presidential election.
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“This is a momentous day for America, for the United States Constitution and for the fair and impartial rule of law,” the president, standing alongside Barrett, said before lawmakers and others who had gathered on the South Lawn of the White House.”I stand here tonight, truly honoured and humbled,” Barrett, a 48-year-old religious conservative, said shortly after Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas administered the constitutional oath.READ: US early voting tops 60 million as historic pace continuesREAD: Biden, Trump focus on battleground states in 11th-hour pitch
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No nominee to the Supreme Court has ever been confirmed by the Senate this close to a presidential election.Trump has said he expects the court to decide the outcome of the election between him and Democrat Joe Biden and wants Barrett to participate on any election-related cases that go before the justices.Barrett, a federal appeals court judge, is Trump’s third selection for the court, enabling him to remake it in dramatic fashion as part of his success in moving the broader federal judiciary to the right since taking office in 2017.OBAMACARE CASE
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Barrett is expected to participate in arguments on Nov 10 in a case in which Trump and Republican-led states are seeking to invalidate the Affordable Care Act. The 2010 healthcare law, also known as Obamacare, has helped millions of Americans obtain medical insurance and barred private insurers from denying medical coverage to people with pre-existing conditions.READ: Commentary: Has Trump undone all of Obama’s legacy yet? READ: Four years in, Trump has plenty of unfinished business Barrett has criticised previous rulings upholding Obamacare but said during her confirmation hearing she had no agenda to invalidate the measure.During her confirmation hearing before the Senate Judiciary Committee two weeks ago, Barrett, a favourite of Christian conservatives, irked Democrats by sidestepping questions on abortion, presidential powers, climate change, voting rights, Obamacare and other issues.
