Hearings begin for Amy Coney Barrett, Trump’s controversial Supreme Court pick

The conservative law professor was named by the Republican president to succeed women’s rights champion and liberal justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg

Barrett is well regarded by conservative Christians, who share many of her values, including an opposition to abortion and same-sex marriage

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Supreme Court nominee Judge Amy Coney Barrett arrives at her Senate Judiciary Committee confirmation hearing. Photo: AFP

Published: 10:13pm, 12 Oct 2020Updated: 10:19pm, 12 Oct 2020

Judge Amy Coney Barrett, President Donald Trump’s conservative pick to fill a key vacancy on the Supreme Court bench, faced a Senate grilling Monday as confirmation hearings began for the lifetime appointment – which Democrats appear largely powerless to block.

The 48-year-old conservative law professor was named by the Republican president on September 26 to succeed women’s rights champion and liberal justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg, who died of cancer eight days earlier at age 87.

By law the Senate, now controlled by Republicans, is tasked with approving nominations to the country’s highest court, where conservatives currently occupy five of the nine seats.

“We will have a hearing hopefully that the country will be [able to] learn more about Judge Barrett, learn more about the law, learn about the differences in judging,” Senate Judiciary Committee chairman Lindsey Graham said after banging a gavel to launched the proceedings.

Senate Judiciary Committee chairman Senator Lindsey Graham. Photo: AFP

Graham praised Ginsburg, and added that “we’re going to fill that vacancy with another great woman,” he said.

The Democrats and their presidential candidate Joe Biden are demanding that the nomination be left until after the election, but Trump wants to push ahead as quickly as possible to satisfy voters on the right.