Amy Coney Barrett to Face Tough Second Day of Supreme Court Hearing

WASHINGTON, KOMPAS.com – Amy Coney Barret won’t have it easy for her Supreme Court hearing Tuesday as she faces a deeply divided Senate.

The acute political fights were previewed in Monday's Senate Judiciary Committee hearing, where lawmakers and Barrett gave opening statements under the shadow of the deadly coronavirus that has killed nearly 215,000 Americans.

US Democrats slammed the process of accelerating the Supreme Court nominee’s appointment as “reckless” and a “shame” with only 22 days before the Noveber 3 election.

Amy Coney Barrett glided through her first Supreme Court hearing on Monday and next up is her first question-and-answer session as she is set to replace Justice Ruth Badger Ginsburg following her death.

Read also: Supreme Court Nominee Amy Barrett Could Reshape Judiciary for a Generation

Barrett is likely to receive praise from US Republicans for her faith and qualifications while Democrats have armed themselves with questions over healthcare for President Donald Trump’s US Supreme Court nominee.

Four days of Supreme Court hearings are unlikely to sway senators, barring any shock revelations, and Democrats — who control 47 Senate seats versus the Republicans' 53 — are largely powerless to block Barrett's confirmation.

"I think I know how the vote's going to come out," Republican committee chairman Lindsey Graham said after gavelling in Monday's session.

Amy Coney Barrett, a 48-year-old conservative, was tapped last month by Trump to succeed liberal Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg, who died of cancer on September 18.

Read also: America in Mourning Following Death of Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg

Republicans revel in the prospect of Barrett joining the bench, where conservatives now occupy five of nine seats and her confirmation could cement the court's rightward tilt for decades.

Democrats, meanwhile, were using the hearings to remind voters that healthcare for millions is at stake and to convince them that Trump has been deeply irresponsible in his coronavirus pandemic response.

They have painted the Supreme Court nominee as a direct threat to the Affordable Care Act and voiced concern her appointment is being rammed through in time for the court to hear a challenge to the law on November 10.

'Illegitimate'

The Supreme Court hearing, forced onto the calendar even as 10 million Americans already cast ballots as of Monday, has emerged as a political flashpoint.