The Senate is moving forward with the nomination of Judge Amy Coney Barrett to the Supreme Court. During a rare weekend session, Senators advanced her nomination with a 51-to-48 vote.
"Judge Amy Coney Barrett of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit is a stellar nominee in every single respect," Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell said on the Senate floor following the vote. "Her intellectual brilliance is unquestioned. Her command of the law is remarkable. Her integrity is above reproach."
Two Republicans voted against ending the debate, Maine Senator Susan Collins and Senator Lisa Murkowski from Alaska. Despite joining the Democrats to vote against the procedural measure, Murkowski indicated that she plans to vote to confirm Barrett.
Debate will be limited to 30 hours, and the Senate is expected to hold a final vote to confirm Barrett on Monday night.
Democrats blasted their Republican colleagues for rushing through Barrett's confirmation so close to the presidential election.
"This SCOTUS nomination process was illegitimate from Day 1. Instead of allowing the American people to finish voting, we had the Senate GOP saying they would confirm the nominee before she was even named. It's all a sham," Oregon Senator Jeff Merkley tweeted.
Despite the objections of Democrats, Barrett is expected by confirmed by the Republican majority in the Senate.
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