Amy Coney Barrett was confirmed to the Supreme Court on Monday, Oct. 26, eight days before Election Day. This confirmation has made her the third successful nominee during Trump’s presidency and the sixth conservative justice on the nine-person court. Barrett was approved to be an associate justice on the Supreme Court in a 52-48 vote that ended Monday evening, with all but one of the Republican senators voting in her favor.
According to The New York Times, “Democrats are united in opposition, as much for policy reasons as the decision to fill the seat at all so close to an election. Republicans outright refused to do so in 2016 when a vacancy opened under a Democratic president because, they argued, voters should have a say.”
As one of the youngest justices to be appointed to the Supreme Court at 48 years old, the decisions that Barrett makes on crucial cases will be vital for many in the United States within the next several decades. Barrett is an alumna of Rhodes College and Notre Dame, also making her the only current Supreme Court justice that has not obtained an Ivy League education. Following the Senate's confirmation of Barrett to the Supreme Court, the White House hosted a ceremony on Oct. 26 where Justice Clarence Thomas administered the official constitutional oath to Barrett.
Supreme Court justices are required to take two oaths before they may execute the duties of their appointed office: the constitutional oath and the judicial oath. Barrett is set to take the judicial oath on Tuesday, Oct. 27, in a private ceremony at the Supreme Court. Following that oath, she will officially become an active participant in court proceedings.
By Rachel Van Horne, News Editor
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