Trump nominates Amy Coney Barrett for Supreme Court

Sen. Lisa Murkowski, a Republican Alaska, said despite her statement indicating she doesn’t support President Trump nominating a Supreme Court justice this close to Election Day, she will meet with Amy Coney Barrett as part of the confirmation process.

Here's her statement:

Last week, Murkowski said she opposes taking up a Supreme Court nomination prior to Election Day. She did not address whether she will oppose President Donald Trump's nominee in a lame-duck session if Joe Biden wins the presidency.

Democratic Sen. Mazie Hirono, a member of the Senate Judiciary Committee, said that Supreme Court nominee Amy Coney Barrett will strike down the Affordable Care Act if she is confirmed.  

“Judiciary Republicans are prepared to vote for whoever the nominee is, but they want to push this person through to steal yet another Supreme Court seat, to vote down the Affordable Care Act,” Hirono said. 

The Supreme Court will hear oral arguments on the future of the ACA on Nov. 10.

The senator from Hawaii told CNN’s Wolf Blitzer she will not be meeting with Barrett ahead of confirmation hearings.  

White House Chief of Staff Mark Meadows said he hopes the nominee will be confirmed by Nov. 1.

“We may not be able to stop it; we can slow it down. But the American people need to know what's at stake,” Hirono said. “... And what’s at stake is their very health care.”

President Trump is set to hold a rally in Middletown, Pennsylvania, this evening — his first political event after officially nominating Amy Coney Barrett to the Supreme Court. 

The event is not scheduled to kick off until 7 p.m. ET, but a significant crowd had already gathered hours ahead of time. As the nominating ceremony began, the large jumbotron over the event switched to Fox News’ live coverage of the event. 

The crowd quieted down and turned its attention to the event enthusiastically cheering as Barrett was announced. Some in the crowd broke out into a chant of “Fill the Seat!”. 

As Barrett delivered her remarks, the Trump crowd cheered as she said she loved America and the Constitution and when she promised to uphold the document as it was written.

They also cheered loudly as she talked about her role as a mother and described her family life.

As is typical with Trump events, this event is being staged once again with little to no precautions in place to prevent the spread of the coronavirus. Very few people are wearing masks and the crowd — which numbers in the thousands — is packed in shoulder-to-shoulder.

CNN chief legal analyst Jeffrey Toobin highlighted the differences between late Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg and Trump's nominee to fill her seat, Amy Coney Barrett. 

He outlined the differing views of the conservative federal appeals court judge and the liberal justice Ginsburg. 

“The differences for reproductive freedom, for health care, for gun control — or the absence thereof — affirmative action, so many issues, her views are going to be diametrically opposed to Ruth Ginsburg’s,” he said. “And that’s what Donald Trump promised during the campaign. He is delivering on that promise, and we’re going to see in very short order whether the voters think that’s a good idea.”

Many Democratic lawmakers are mentioning health care and the Affordable Care Act in response to President Trump's decision to nominate Amy Coney Barrett to the US Supreme Court,

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi in a statement tied her opposition to Barrett’s nomination to concerns she will support eliminating Obamacare. And Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer told his fellow senators that a vote to confirm Barrett "is a vote to strike down the Affordable Care Act"

Here's why they're focusing on health care: The Supreme Court is set to hear oral arguments just after the November election in a case about the Affordable Care Act.

Senate Republicans have indicated they may vote to confirm Barrett before Election Day — meaning she could be seated on the bench for that case.

What Barrett has said about the Affordable Care Act: In an early 2017 law review essay reviewing a book related to the Supreme Court ruling on the Affordable Care Act, Barrett criticized Chief Justice John Roberts' rationale that saved the law in 2012.

"Chief Justice Roberts pushed the Affordable Care Act beyond its plausible meaning to save the statute," Barrett wrote. "He construed the penalty imposed on those without health insurance as a tax, which permitted him to sustain the statute as a valid exercise of the taxing power."

Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer said President Trump's decision to nominate Amy Coney Barrett to the Supreme Court has put "Americans’ healthcare in the crosshairs."

"The American people should make no mistake — a vote by any Senator for Judge Amy Coney Barrett is a vote to strike down the Affordable Care Act and eliminate protections for millions of Americans with pre-existing conditions," Schumer wrote in a statement.

Schumer continued:

What this is about: The Supreme Court is set to hear oral arguments just after the November election in a case about the Affordable Care Act. Senate Republicans have indicated they may vote to confirm Barrett before Election Day — meaning she could be seated on the bench for that case.

In an early 2017 law review essay, reviewing a book related to the Supreme Court ruling on the Affordable Care Act, Barrett criticized Chief Justice John Roberts' rationale that saved the law in 2012.

"Chief Justice Roberts pushed the Affordable Care Act beyond its plausible meaning to save the statute," Barrett wrote. "He construed the penalty imposed on those without health insurance as a tax, which permitted him to sustain the statute as a valid exercise of the taxing power."

Joe Biden released a statement reacting to Amy Coney Barrett’s nomination and focused on health care and protecting the Affordable Care Act.

He added that the Senate should not act on the vacancy until after the American people select their next president. 

Remember: Senate Republicans have outlined a possible confirmation hearing for Barrett that could have her confirmed before Election Day.

The Supreme Court is scheduled to hear oral arguments just after the election in a case about the Affordable Care Act. The case is brought by a coalition of Republican state attorneys general and the Trump administration, who argue the law's individual mandate is unconstitutional, and the entire law must fall.

Amy Coney Barrett honored the late Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg in her speech after President Trump selected her to fill Ginsburg's Supreme Court seat.

"Should I be confirmed, I will be mindful who came before me," she said. "The flag of the United States is still flying at half-staff in memory of Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg to mark the end of a great American life."

Barrett continued: "Justice Ginsburg began her career at a time when women were not welcome in the legal profession, but she not only broke glass ceilings, she smashed them."

Barrett — who once clerked for Justice Antonin Scalia — noted Ginsburg's friendship with the conservative Justice.

While Ginsburg and Scalia disagreed "fiercely," they demonstrated disagreements "need not destroy affection."

Watch:

President Trump, while announcing that he's nominating Amy Coney Barrett to the Supreme Court, urged Democrats to grant her a "respectful and dignified" hearing.

The battle of the Supreme Court vacancy has shaped the 2020 election in the past week. Many Democrats have said the seat should not be filled before the election, while Republicans in the Senate are moving to confirm Trump's nominee before Election Day.

Watch: