According to CNN, on the evening of October 26, local time, the U.S. Senate voted to approve the nomination of Emmy Barrett as a federal Supreme Court Justice. President Trump then presided over a swearing-in ceremony for Barrett on the South Lawn of the White House, where Barrett said he would carry out his duties without fear or favor.
Barrett sworn in as justice at the White House, Biden: it’s a wake-up call to the American people
Barrett is sworn in as a Supreme Court Justice. /BBC video clip
In the night’s Senate vote, 52 senators voted for and 48 voted against the bill. The vote was largely split along party lines, with only one Republican senator – Susan Collins of Maine – voting against the nomination.
Barrett, 48, is the third justice nominated during Trump’s tenure, after Trump nominated Neil Gossage in 2017 and Brett Kavanaugh in 2018. All three nominations were approved due to Republican control of the Senate. After Barrett was sworn in, the ratio of conservatives to liberals on the federal Supreme Court changed to 6:3.
According to the BBC, Trump said during the swearing-in ceremony that “this is an important day for America, for the U.S. Constitution, and for the fair and just rule of law”.
Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas presided over Barrett’s constitutional oath-taking ceremony. Barrett stated that “a Justice will be independent not only of Congress and the President, but also of any private beliefs that might sway her.” She also said that she would “act independently of political affiliation and her own preferences.”
For the Senate in just one week before the election to pass the nomination of judges, Democratic presidential candidate Joe Biden said in a statement, this “rushed, unprecedented” process should be a “wake-up call” to every American – that, your vote matters.
Biden pointed out that in the week after the election, the Supreme Court will rule on the Affordable Care Act, and Trump has repeatedly said over the past four years that he wants to overturn the bill in its entirety, “taking away your health care and your protection for pre-existing conditions. He called the Senate vote “a disservice to the United States Senate, to the American people’s trust in the legitimacy of the Supreme Court, and to democracy,” but “we’re not going to give up …… if you want to say no, if you want this kind of Abuse of power no longer represents you, go out and vote.”
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