Democrats Plan To Boycott Thursday’s Vote On Amy Coney Barrett. Will It Matter?

Topline

Democrats are preparing to boycott the Senate Judiciary Committee’s Thursday vote on Supreme Court nominee Amy Coney Barrett, party leaders confirmed Wednesday evening, a gesture that Committee Chair Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) has already indicated he will ignore.

Key Facts

Crucial Quote

“This has been a sham process from the beginning,” Schumer and the committee’s Democrats said in a statement. “We will not grant this process any further legitimacy by participating in a committee markup of this nomination just twelve days before the culmination of an election that is already underway.”

Key Background

Democrats have castigated Senate Republicans for their rapid push to confirm Barrett, a conservative jurist nominated by President Donald Trump shortly after Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg died last month. However, most observers say Democrats have little power to stop Barrett’s confirmation: only two Senate Republicans have agreed to vote no on Barrett, meaning she will almost certainly earn a slim majority of votes. Instead, some Democrats have attempted to highlight Barrett’s conservative views and tie her to unpopular positions, hoping to make her inevitable confirmation a liability for Republicans in next month’s election. 

Tangent

Democrats plan to fill their seats in the Judiciary Committee hearing room with photos of people who may be harmed if the Supreme Court strikes down the Affordable Care Act, the Huffington Post reported Wednesday. It’s an attempt to spotlight Barrett’s skepticism of the law.

Surprising Fact

A slim majority of voters (51%) believe the Senate should confirm Barrett, according to a Politico/Morning Consult poll released Wednesday. Support for confirming Barrett has increased by 14 points since September, when Politico last asked voters the question.

Further Reading

Senate Democrats Plan To Boycott Amy Coney Barrett’s Committee Vote (Huffington Post)

Full Senate to vote on Trump’s Supreme Court nominee on Monday (USA Today)

Lacking A Path To Block Barrett, Senate Democrats Push For Viral Missteps (Forbes)