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supreme court nomination

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Amy Coney Barrett, a favorite of social conservatives, is President Donald Trump’s pick for the new Supreme Court justice.

Speaking by her side at the White House Rose Garden, President Trump described her as a “woman of unparalleled achievement”.

If confirmed by senators, Judge Barrett will replace liberal Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg who died last week at the age of 87.

Amy Coney Barrett’s nomination will spark a bitter confirmation fight in the Senate as November’s presidential election looms.

Announcing Judge Barrett as his nominee on September 26, President Trump described Amy Coney Barrett as a “stellar scholar and judge” with “unyielding loyalty to the constitution”.

However, Democratic presidential candidate Joe Biden urged the Senate not to “act on this vacancy until after the American people select their next president and the next Congress”.

He said: “The United States Constitution was designed to give the voters one chance to have their voice heard on who serves on the Court. That moment is now and their voice should be heard.”

If Judge Barrett is confirmed, conservative-leaning justices will hold a 6-3 majority on the Supreme Court for the foreseeable future.

She would be the third justice appointed by the current Republican president, after Neil Gorsuch in 2017 and Brett Kavanaugh in 2018.

The court’s nine justices serve lifetime appointments, and their rulings can shape public policy on everything from gun and voting rights to abortion and campaign finance for decades

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In recent years, the Supreme Court has expanded gay marriage to all 50 states, allowed for President Trump’s travel ban on mainly Muslim countries to be put in place, and delayed the US plan to cut carbon emissions.

After graduating from Notre Dame University Law School in Indiana, Amy Coney Barrett, 48, clerked for the late Justice Antonin Scalia. In 2017, she was nominated by President Trump to the Chicago-based 7th Circuit Court of Appeals.

Amy Coney Barrett is described as a devout Catholic who, according to a 2013 magazine article, said that “life begins at conception”. This makes her a favorite among religious conservatives keen to overturn the 1973 Supreme Court decision that legalized abortion nationwide.

LGBT groups have criticized her membership of a conservative Catholic group, People of Praise, whose network of schools have guidelines stating a belief that sexual relations should only happen between heterosexual married couples.

Judge Barrett has ruled in favor of President Trump’s hard-line immigration policies and expressed views in favor of expansive gun rights.

Conservatives hope Judge Barrett will rule against the Affordable Care Act – a health insurance scheme introduced by President Trump’s Democratic predecessor Barack Obama.

Some 20 million Americans could lose their health coverage if the court overturns the legislation, also known as Obamacare.

Following September 26 announcement, Senate Democratic leader Chuck Schumer warned fellow senators that voting to confirm Judge Barrett could spell the end of Obamacare.

He said: “A vote by any senator for Judge Amy Coney Barrett is a vote to strike down the Affordable Care Act and eliminate protections for millions of Americans.”

On September 26, Judge Barrett said her rulings as a Supreme Court justice would be based only on the law.

“Judges are not policymakers, and they must be resolute in setting aside any policy view they might hold,” she added.

The White House has begun contacting Republican Senate offices to schedule meetings with the nominee, sources told CBS.

Hearings by the Senate Judiciary Committee – the panel tasked with vetting nominees – are scheduled to begin on October 12, and will last three to four days, committee chairman Lindsey Graham told Fox News late on September 26.

Afterwards committee members will vote on whether to send the nomination to the full Senate. If they do, all 100 senators will vote to confirm or reject her.

Republicans hold a slim majority of 53 senators, but they already seem to have the 51 votes needed to get Judge Barrett confirmed.

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Prof. Christine Blasey Ford, the first woman to accuse Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh of assault, has said the incident “drastically altered” her life.

It is part of the written testimony Christine Blasey Ford has released before she appears at a crucial Senate panel hearing on September 27.

Judge Brett Kavanaugh, who will also testify, has strenuously denied the accusation.

However, fresh allegations, which Brett Kavanaugh also denies, have appeared as the hearing looms.

His confirmation to the highest US court has been delayed in the wake of the allegations against him.

The nine-member Supreme Court is the final word on US law, including highly contentious social issues and challenges to government policy.

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In a written testimony provided ahead of September 27 Senate Judiciary Committee hearing, Christine Blasey Ford says: “It is not my responsibility to determine whether Mr. Kavanaugh deserves to sit on the Supreme Court. My responsibility is to tell the truth.”

Christine Blasey Ford alleges Brett Kavanaugh tried to drunkenly remove her clothing, pinned her to a bed and groped her at a party when she was 15 and he was 17.

“Brett’s assault on me drastically altered my life. For a very long time, I was too afraid and ashamed to tell anyone the details,” she wrote in her prepared statement.

“I tried to convince myself that because Brett did not rape me, I should be able to move on and just pretend that it had never happened.”

Christine Blasey says Brett Kavanaugh and his friend Mark Judge locked her in a bedroom during a small gathering at a house in Washington DC suburbs in the summer of 1982.

“Both Brett and Mark were drunkenly laughing during the attack,” she said.

Mark Judge has disputed the allegations, saying he does not recall the incident.

“I believed [Brett Kavanaugh] was going to rape me,” Christine Blasey said. The fact that he covered her mouth she says “terrified” her the most, and has had “the most lasting impact”.

“It was hard for me to breathe, and I thought that Brett was accidentally going to kill me.”

When Mark Judge jumped on the bed, she says “we toppled over and Brett was no longer on top of me.” She was then able to run from the room.

Brett Kavanaugh is also facing other accusations of assault from three women.

However, he denies Christine Blasey Ford’s allegation “immediately, unequivocally, and categorically”.

The judge also released prepared written testimony ahead of the hearing.

Brett Kavanaugh says: “Over the past few days, other false and uncorroborated accusations have been aired. There has been a frenzy to come up with something – anything, no matter how far-fetched or odious – that will block a vote on my nomination. These are last-minute smears, pure and simple.”

The written testimony suggests Brett Kavanaugh will not try to portray himself as a saint.

He will say: “I was not perfect in those days, just as I am not perfect today. I drank beer with my friends, usually on weekends. Sometimes I had too many.”

He will also say that what he has been accused of is “far more serious than juvenile misbehavior”.

The hearing is scheduled to get under way at 10:00 local time and could last five hours.

There will be opening statements from the leading Republican and Democrat members.

Christine Blasey Ford will deliver her opening statement first.

The 21 senators on the committee will then have five minutes each to pose questions, but while the 10 Democrats are expected to ask questions themselves, it is believed a special counsel will act on behalf of the Republicans.

Christine Blasey Ford will then leave the room and Brett Kavanaugh will enter. She had earlier asked not to be in the same room as the judge.

Brett Kavanaugh will deliver his statement and the same round of questioning will follow.

President Donald Trump has portrayed the events in political terms, accusing the Democrats of trying to block the nomination.

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