CHAMPAIGN – Both US Senators from Illinois expressed concerns about President Donald J. Trump’s nomination of Judge Amy Coney Barrett to the US Supreme Court.
The move on Saturday caps a dramatic reshaping of the federal judiciary that will resonate for a generation. He also hopes it will provide boost his reelection effort as he looks to fend off Democrat Joe Biden.
Republican senators are lining up for a swift confirmation of Barrett before the Nov. 3 election, as they aim to lock in conservative gains in the federal judiciary before a potential transition of power.
NPR Politics reports the Senate Judiciary Committee will begin confirmation hearings on October 12 and are expected to last 4 days.
U.S. Sen. Dick Durbin (D-IL) is on the committee. In a statement on Saturday, he said Barrett’s nomination will put the Affordable Care Act, signed into law in 2010, in jeopardy. Here is part of his statement:
“We are 38 days from Election Day. And we are 45 days from the Supreme Court taking up the case that will decide whether the Affordable Care Act will survive. President Trump and Majority Leader McConnell want to rush Judge Barrett’s nomination through the Senate before those two dates arrive.
“It is clear why Republicans have reversed their position from 2016 about giving the American people ‘a voice’ in filling an election year vacancy. They want another vote on the Supreme Court for their lawsuit to overturn the Affordable Care Act—eliminating health insurance for millions, ending protections for people with pre-existing conditions, and raising costs for millions more—in the middle of a pandemic.”
U.S. Sen. Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) also issued a statement, stating that she will not support Barrett’s nomination.:
“The stakes could not be higher: if Republicans insist on confirming Judge Barrett, the Court could roll back women’s reproductive rights, greenlight more dark money in politics, jeopardize voting rights and civil rights for Black and brown communities and knock down any progress on climate action. I voted against confirming Amy Coney Barrett to sit on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit because she failed to demonstrate the capability or willingness to serve as an impartial, fair and independent jurist. Judge Barrett was not fit to be a Circuit Judge in 2017 and she is the wrong choice for a lifetime appointment to the Supreme Court today. Once again, she will not have my support.”
According to NPR, Barrett is widely admired among conservatives for her views against abortion rights and the Affordable Care Act.