US Senate to start confirmation hearing of Judge Amy Coney Barrett’s nomination today

The US Senate on Monday will start confirmation hearings on the selection of Judge Amy Coney Barrett, who was nominated by US President Donald Trump on September 26 to the Supreme Court to succeed the late liberal justice, Ruth Bader Ginsburg.

The hearings will start despite opposition from the Democrats, who have appealed to Senator to decide on Barrett after the US chooses its new president on November 3. Barrett, a favorite of Republicans, if selected, will be replacing women’s rights champion Ginsburg, who died on September 18 at the age of 87 due to a prolonged battle with cancer.

Also Read | Donald Trump’s Supreme Court nominee Amy Barrett pledges to rule based on law

Democrats, including their presidential candidate Joe Biden, want the nomination to be put on hold till elections, however, Trump wants the US Senate to confirm Barrett’s nomination as quickly as possible.

The Republican-led Senate has to approve the nomination of Barrett to the country’s highest court, where conservatives currently occupy five of the nine seats.

Barrett, a practicing Catholic, is well regarded by conservative Christians, who share many of her values, including opposition to abortion and same-sex marriage.

The mother of seven children, including two who were adopted and one with Downs Syndrome, once told a gathering of students that “your legal career is but a means to an end, and… that end is building the kingdom of God.”

In recent days, Barrett’s affiliation to a small group of Catholics called the People of Praise, in which she reportedly held the title of “handmaid,” has drawn particular attention.