The Senate Judiciary Committee voted 12-0 to confirm Judge Amy Coney Barrett to the Supreme Court despite the Democratic members of the panel boycotting the hearing.
The nomination will now move to a full Senate vote on Monday.
Chairman Lindsey Graham (R-SC) said Thursday he will not allow Democrats to derail the Judiciary Committee’s confirmation vote for Barrett after they made good on their threat to boycott the hearing.
“We’re not going to allow them to take over the committee,” Graham said in his opening statement. “They made a choice not to participate after allowing Judge Barrett four days to be questioned.”
“That is a choice they are making,” he continued. “I believe it does a disservice to Judge Barrett, who deserves a vote, up or down.”
President Trump hailed the vote to approve his nominee to fill the vacancy left by the death of Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg.
“Judiciary Committee approves Judge Barrett. Moves to full Senate for final vote. Big day for America!,” he said on Twitter.
Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) said Wednesday that members of his party would not take part in the confirmation vote because of how Republicans handled her nomination.
Portraits of people who rely on the Affordable Care Act are placed in the seats of Democratic senators on the Judiciary Committee as they boycott the vote on Amy Coney Barrett to serve as an associate justice on the Supreme Court during a Senate Judiciary Committee executive business meeting in Washington, DC, on Oct. 22, 2020.CQ Roll Call/AFP via Getty ImagesHe called it “the most rushed, most partisan and least legitimate process in Supreme Court nomination history.”
The New York Democrat added that the Democrats would “not provide the quorum that is required,” referencing a Senate rule requiring members of the opposite party to be present to conduct government business.
Sen. John Cornyn (R-Texas) described the hearing room empty of the panel’s Democratic members as a “surreal environment.”
“Our Democratic colleagues announced they are going to boycott one of the most important votes this committee will have probably during our entire senatorial tenure,” he said. “That is a vote to confirm, to provide advice and consent to a nominee of the Supreme Court of the United States.”
He then looked around the room, where some of the Democrats had left blown-up photos of ObamaCare recipients in their places.
Amy Coney BarrettPOOL/AFP via Getty Images“I just want to comment on the pictures that are in their chairs, like this is some sort of sporting event during COVID-19 and rather than show up and do their job, they choose to continue this theater.”
Sen. Mike Lee (R-Utah) also lambasted Democrats for refusing to appear for the vote.
“It is a shame that our colleagues on the other side, having failed to lay a glove on Judge Barrett, have walked out on this process and in so doing, walk out on the American people,” he said.
Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) has pledged to allow the full Senate to vote before the Nov. 3 election.
Barrett joining the court would give conservatives a 6-3 majority.
