The U.S. Senate confirmed Amy Coney Barrett as Supreme Court Justice in a 52-48 vote, Monday.

Barrett, 48, was President Donald Trump’s appointee to replace the Supreme Court seat left vacant by Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg. She served as a circuit judge on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit, after being appointed by Trump in 2017.

The Republican vote was not unanimous, as Sen. Susan Collins, voted against the nominee, stating that she did not feel it was “fair” to do so in an election year.

Collins’s decision was based on the Thurmond Rule, which is an unofficial rule that the U.S. Senate will not appoint a federal judiciary in an election year.

The Thurmond Rule was a leading factor in the Senate’s decision to block President Barrack Obama’s 2016 appointee to replace the late Justice Antonin Scalia.

Since the passing of Justice Ginsburg on September 18, Democrats have pointed to the Thurmond Rule, to which Senate Majority leader Mitch McConnell responded, “Only six prior times in American history had a Supreme Court Vacancy arisen in a presidential election year, and the president Senate nomination that year to the Senate of the opposite party. The majority of those times the outcome was exactly what happened in 2016—no confirmation. The historically normal outcome when you have divided government.”

Vice Presidential candidate, Sen. Kamala Harris said of the Barrett confirmation:

“Today Republicans denied the will of the American people by confirming a Supreme Court justice through an illegitimate process—all in their effort to gut the Affordable Care Act and strip health care from millions with pre-existing conditions. Instead of working to provide COVID-19 relief to struggling Americans, Mitch McConnell and Republicans chose to jam through a Supreme Court nominee—when more than 62 million people have already voted. It’s despicable and they must be held accountable.”

While California Gov. Gavin Newsom did not directly respond to Barrett’s confirmation, shortly after the announcement, he retweeted former presidential candidate, Pete Buttigieg’s tweet that said, “Vote them out.”

Barrett was sworn in by Justice Clarence Thomas at a White House ceremony, Monday night, taking the constitutional oath. Barrett is scheduled to take the judicial oath, Tuesday, which will be administered by Chief Justice John Roberts.

 

 

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