Indianz.Com > News > Cronkite News: Vulnerable Republican pledges vote for Supreme Court nominee
McSally heaps praise on Barrett on eve of first confirmation vote
Thursday, October 22, 2020
Cronkite News
WASHINGTON – Arizona Sen. Martha McSally left little doubt how she plans to vote on Supreme Court Judge Amy Coney Barrett’s nomination, calling Barrett “a gift to America” during a brief meeting Wednesday.
The meeting, one of a series between senators and Barrett, came on the eve of a Senate Judiciary Committee vote on the nomination, which is expected to be before the full Senate for a final vote as early as Monday.
“I am so inspired to meet you,” McSally said to Barrett. “Really looking forward to voting to put you on the Supreme Court.”
Democrats do not appear to have the votes to block the confirmation, but continued to criticize the rushed process, which could put Barrett on the court less than six weeks after the death of Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg and just days before Election Day.
In a Tuesday op-ed in the Arizona Republic, McSally explained her intention to vote for Barrett when her nomination comes to the floor, calling her “extremely capable and more than qualified” for the Supreme Court. “You are a gift to America,” McSally during her meeting with Barrett. Thursday’s vote comes just a week after the Judiciary Committee wrapped up four days of hearings on Barrett, hearings in which Democrats said the nominee dodged their questions on issues from voting rights to abortion to health care. The Supreme Court is scheduled to hear a challenge to the Affordable Care Act on Nov. 10, one week after the election. “She wouldn’t even acknowledge, in my questions to her, that voter discrimination exists,” Leahy said of the frustration Judiciary Committee Democrats experienced during the hearings. “She wouldn’t acknowledge minority communities face more barriers to voting than she does or I do.” Klobuchar echoed the sentiment, recounting her own interactions with Barrett last week. While judicial nominees rarely refuse to speculate on hypothetical cases, Klobuchar said Barrett dodged even straightforward legal questions. “When I asked the nominee about her views on voter intimidation, which it wasn’t a court case, it was actually a statue that’s on the books, and she would not state that voter intimidation was illegal during her testimony,” Klobuchar said. “And yet she may be the swing vote in determining voting rights cases before the court.” She pointed to recent court cases challenging Texas’ policy of limiting ballot drop-boxes to one per county, and South Carolina’s attempt to reinstate the requirement for a witness signature on absentee ballots during the COVID-19 pandemic. Those are cases where the Supreme Court is “going to end up being the final arbiter,” Klobuchar said. Durbin predicted that Barrett’s appointment would lead to conservative “judicial activism” by the high court. “That’s exactly the kind of judicial activism that Republicans claim to oppose,” Durbin said. “It’s exactly the kind of judicial activism they’re expecting from Judge Barrett as they rush to confirm her.”The Senate Judiciary Committee just advanced Judge Barrett’s Supreme Court nomination out of committee. Early next week, the full Senate will vote to make her Justice Amy Coney Barrett. pic.twitter.com/XIPNxpSVzO
— Martha McSally (@MarthaMcSally) October 22, 2020
Note: This story originally appeared on Cronkite News. It is published via a Creative Commons license. Cronkite News is produced by the Walter Cronkite School of Journalism and Mass Communication at Arizona State University.
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