Barrett, Trump’s Supreme Court Candidate, Sworn in at the White House
The conservative judge’s hasty approval process has been full of criticism from Democrats and political analysts.
President Donald Trump on Monday managed to place his nominee, Conservative Judge Amy Barrett , on the Supreme Court and thus consolidate the right-wing majority for the coming decades in the most important court in the country.
The confirmation of Barret in the Senate took place the night of Monday and, just an hour after he was sworn in at the White House in the hands of his new colleague Clarence Thomas, considered the -at judge more conservative least until now in the High Court.
“I will work without fear or favor. I will do it regardless of both the political powers and my own preferences, “said Barrett after being sworn in in a brief speech in which he had words of appreciation for both Trump and the Republican senators.
The ceremony was similar to that of his nomination, just a month ago, in which the coronavirus spread among senators, officials and perhaps Trump himself, although this time the attendees were practically all with masks and sat keeping their distance.
TRUMP’S LAST LEGACY?
Barrett’s confirmation in the Senate this Monday comes after a hasty and controversial process that began last September 18 with the death at the age of 87 of the charismatic judge Ruth Bader Ginsburg, a symbol of feminism and progressivism.
Faced with the prospect of losing both the Senate and the White House in next week’s election – as all the polls point to – Trump nominated Barrett without delay on September 26, even before Ginsburg, whose posthumous wish, was buried. it was that his replacement was elected by the president out of the polls.
Democrats opposed Barrett just as Republicans opposed Barack Obama’s last year to confirm his Supreme nominee Merrick Garland, but now, with a minority in the Senate, they have come to concede that they could do nothing to prevent it .
Finally 52 Republicans confirmed on Monday Barrett for his new life position, while 47 Democrats and Republican Susan Collins (who is playing her re-election next week in the Democratic state of Maine) voted against .
A SUPREME (MORE) CONSERVATIVE
The Republicans thus took advantage of their control over the Executive and the Senate to further favor the Supreme Court, which with the arrival of Barrett was left with six conservative magistrates and three progressives . Trump, in fact, has managed to confirm in just four years in power three of these judges, Neil Gorsuch, Brett Kavanaugh and Barrett, something very unusual in a single term.
The fact that these positions are for life and the youth of the new magistrates nominated by Trump tilts the composition of the Supreme Court to the right probably for decades , with its consequent decisions on issues such as abortion, public health and immigration .
Conservatives, in fact, consider that Barrett’s confirmation is a “historic victory” for those who oppose abortion, because the judge is contrary to that right guaranteed in the United States since 1973, although she has not wanted to clarify whether she would vote for undermine it.
REFORM OF THE SUPREME
Against this background, there are many Democrats, especially the most progressive, who advocate reforming the High Court in case the Executive and Legislative Court win in the next elections, expanding its current composition of nine judges.
“Republicans do this because they don’t think Democrats have the guts to play hard like they do. And for a long time they have been right. But let’s not let them intimidate people into thinking that their abuse is normal but an answer is not. There is a legal process to expand (the court), “Congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez said on Twitter.
However, the Democratic candidate for the White House, Joe Biden, has not clarified during the campaign if he is in favor of expanding the court, although he has said that he will form a commission to study possible reforms.
