Senate to begin hearings on Trump's conservative Supreme Court pick

Washington D.C. - The US Senate will on Monday begin hearings on President Donald Trump's Supreme Court nominee, Judge Amy Coney Barrett, in what is expected to be a bitter partisan fight ahead of the November presidential election.

Judge Amy Coney Barrett is President Donald Trump's controversial pick to fill the vacant Supreme Court seat.
Judge Amy Coney Barrett is President Donald Trump's controversial pick to fill the vacant Supreme Court seat.  © imago images / UPI Photo

While the process from nomination to Senate confirmation can often take over two months, the Republican-controlled Senate is seeking to expedite it at Trump's behest so it finishes before the November 3 showdown.

Barrett (48) would replace Ruth Bader Ginsburg, an icon of the court's liberal wing, who died last month after a battle with cancer.

She would give the court a 6-3 conservative majority if confirmed, though the court does not always vote along ideological lines.

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On Monday, Barrett, along with the senators, will provide opening statements.

In her remarks, obtained in advance by US media outlets, she is to say that "value judgments" or policy decisions should not be determined by the courts, but by Congress, alluding to her conservative legal philosophy, which seeks to restrain the courts.

"Courts have a vital responsibility to enforce the rule of law, which is critical to a free society," her prepared remarks state. "But courts are not designed to solve every problem or right every wrong in our public life."

The hearings are scheduled to start at 9 AM (ET) and will take place in the Senate Judiciary, which is led by Senator Lindsey Graham, a staunch Trump ally.

Speaking to Fox News on Sunday, Graham said the hearings will run through Thursday before the 22-person committee votes on October 22, sending her nomination to the entire Senate.

Cover photo: imago images / UPI Photo

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