Barrett Hearings Day 2: The First Round Of Questioning

April 20, 2021
WASHINGTON, DC - OCTOBER 12: Supreme Court nominee Judge Amy Coney Barrett is sworn in on the first day of her Supreme Court confirmation hearing before the Senate Judiciary Committee on Capitol Hill on October 12, 2... WASHINGTON, DC - OCTOBER 12: Supreme Court nominee Judge Amy Coney Barrett is sworn in on the first day of her Supreme Court confirmation hearing before the Senate Judiciary Committee on Capitol Hill on October 12, 2020 in Washington, DC. With less than a month until the presidential election, President Donald Trump tapped Amy Coney Barrett to be his third Supreme Court nominee in just four years. If confirmed, Barrett would replace the late Associate Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg. (Photo by Alex Edelman-Pool/Getty Images) MORE LESS
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April 20, 2021

As senators get their chance to question Supreme Court nominee Amy Coney Barrett, she’s wriggled out of answers that political and legal observers are particularly concerned about. She refused to commit to recusal on a hypothetical case to decide the November election, dodged on whether she thinks Roe v. Wade was wrongly decided and wouldn’t agree that President Trump delaying the election would be unlawful.

Democrats are trying to exact the ultimate political price for Republicans’ rush job, and they’re doing it by bringing up social issues people feel strongly about: health care, LGBTQ civil rights, abortion rights, etc. Republicans, for their part, have also been outraged at Democrats’ lines of questioning about her views on those issues, trying to make the argument that she is an entirely blank political slate and that no one can guess how she’ll rule.

Follow along with the hearing below.

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What To Watch

  • Democrats have been struggling to pin Amy Coney Barrett down as she has repeatedly cited the “Ginsburg rule,” a phony GOP interpretation of Ginsburg’s words that some nominees have used to get out of answering tricky questions.
  • That being said, Democrats aren’t necessarily trying to smoke out a controversy here — Barrett is almost certain to end up on the Court. They’re trying to exact the ultimate political price for Republicans’ rush job, and they’re doing it by bringing up social issues people feel strongly about: health care, LGBTQ civil rights, abortion rights, etc.
  • Republicans so far have been impressed by everything about Judge Barrett, from her career to her family to her lack of notes.
  • They have also been outraged at Democrats’ lines of questioning about her views on hot-button issues and independence from Trump, trying to make the argument that she is an entirely blank political slate that no one can guess how she’ll rule.
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As senators get their chance to question Supreme Court nominee Amy Coney Barrett, she’s wriggled out of answers that political and legal observers are particularly concerned about. She refused to commit to recusal on a hypothetical case to decide the November election, dodged on whether she thinks Roe v. Wade was wrongly decided and wouldn’t agree that President Trump delaying the election would be unlawful.

Democrats are trying to exact the ultimate political price for Republicans’ rush job, and they’re doing it by bringing up social issues people feel strongly about: health care, LGBTQ civil rights, abortion rights, etc. Republicans, for their part, have also been outraged at Democrats’ lines of questioning about her views on those issues, trying to make the argument that she is an entirely blank political slate and that no one can guess how she’ll rule.

Follow along with the hearing below.

Notable Replies

  1. I think I will pass on this. I have listened to Lindsay’s pissy little opening and that’s about all I can take. If we were guaranteed the chance to see a future “justice” blubber about loving beer, I might keep watching. Any chance Amy Covid Barrett went to school with someone named Squee???

  2. Sounds like she married him…

  3. [“I hope my colleagues on this side of the aisle will not feel shy about telling my colleagues on the other side of the aisle why we think we have a better idea on health care,” he said.]

    Graham not only is a worthless fucker, he is a stupid one. The Klobuchar and the Dems should clobber him over that unnecessary (for him) and clueless statement.

    That is the kind of statement an abuser makes to his wife.

  4. The GOP plan for the last 8 years or so has been " just do it" and ride out the negative news cycles that follow. Hence Garland. After the fuss they have what they wanted and all is calm. Barrett is going to do or say what she needs to do or say to get on that Court. She will get on that Court. After that she’ll can the ACA and Roe. We KNOW That. You can point to her evasive words of the last two days and cry hypocrisy but after a short period comes the calm and the GOP will have killed ACA and Roe and soon DACA will fall as well. More will come from the same formula.

    I expect Barrett to last 5 years and no more. If she’s a True Believer she’ll not be able to live with herself beyond that. And she’ll be immensely unpopular as will all of SCOTUS.

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