ACB’s Confirmation Hearing: What Happened?
Summary
The Senate began its confirmation hearing yesterday for Amy Coney Barrett‘s Supreme Court nomination.
- As heated debate continues about whether or not the Senate should move forward with a confirmation hearing in light of the upcoming election and the fact that the Senate is not in session due to COVID-19 concerns. Still, Senate Judiciary Chairman Lindsey Graham opened the hearing yesterday.
- Democratic Senator Diane Feinstein delivered the opening statement, in which she expressed that the Senate is premature in moving ahead with this confirmation and implied that it was offensive to Ruth Bader Ginsburg‘s legacy. Kamala Harris agreed, saying that pushing the confirmation was defiant of the “will of the people.”
- Democrats including Connecticut Senator Richard Blumenthal requested that, if confirmed, Amy Coney Barrett recuse herself from cases related to the election.
- Republicans focused on Barrett’s gender, framing the nomination as a progressive win for equality, and criticized Democrats who passed judgement on Barrett’s devout faith.
- Meanwhile, protesters from both sides gathered outside of the Supreme Court. Pro-Life activists gathered to advocate for Barrett’s confirmation, while her opponents gathered to protest against it, citing claims that she will repeal the Affordable Care Act.
- Barrett maintained that her legal approach is fair and by the book, and said that Americans “deserve an independent Supreme Court that interprets our Constitution and Laws as they are written” rather than policy outcomes.
- Today, direct questioning will begin as members of the Judiciary Committee will be allowed to cross-examine the nominee. Democrats are expected to raise tough questions for Barrett about her stance on affordable healthcare, LGBTQ rights, and abortion, while Republicans are expected to continue zealously advocating for her qualifications as the nominee.
- Frames the hearing process very much as a battle. Multiple articles contain strategies to help Democrats resist Barrett’s confirmation, look good politically, and “hit Senate Republicans where it hurts.”
- Portrays the stakes of the Hearing as exceedingly high, suggesting that it will cement a new era of Conservative rulings in the United State for decades to come and that Americans could lose faith in the Supreme Court altogether as a result.
- Reports that Senate Republicans who pushed forward with a confirmation hearing and portrayed Democrats as unfair are hypocritical.
- Highlights concerted efforts on behalf of Democrats to be fair throughout the Confirmation Hearing.
- Criticizes Left-wing media for its coverage of the hearing, arguing that Democrats are overly focused on policy issues and not on Barrett’s qualifications as a judge.
- Portrays Amy Coney Barrett as competent, graceful, and level-headed in the face of “cruelty” from Democratic Senators as well as Democrats on social media.
- Maintains that Amy Coney Barrett’s confirmation would not mean an end to the Affordable Care Act, arguing that Democrats are being alarmist.
- Generally frames Barrett as an incredibly qualified, kind, and fair judge, implying that Democrats are unfairly nitpicking by trying to find issues.
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© Evelyn Torsher, 2020
