Democrats began to throw up procedural roadblocks for Republicans’ effort to confirm Supreme Court nominee Amy Coney Barrett on Thursday after two long days of testimony from the judge, stalling the committee’s plan to hear from two expert panels.
Their actions, which included initially only Sen. Dick Durbin, D-Ill., showing up to the committee’s initial markup and making a motion to end the meeting because there are two minority members needed for a quorum, appear to fulfill a promise from Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., that Democrats “will not supply the quorum. Period,” and that they will do everything they can to delay Barrett’s confirmation.
“Under the rules of this committee you cannot proceed with the business of the committee, even with a quorum present, unless there are two members of the minority present as well,” Durbin told Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., at the start of the meeting. “I want to take official note of the fact that I am the only member of the minority that is here.”
Graham introduced the motion anyway and scheduled a vote on Barrett for 1 p.m. on Oct. 22 before other Democratic senators began to filter in.
Sen. Richard Blumenthal, D-Conn., then made a motion to indefinitely delay the vote on Barrett, which tipped off debate from multiple senators.
“I believe that this rush, sham process is a disservice to our committee,” Blumenthal said. “There has never been a nomination in an election year after the month of July.”
“This is a sham,” Sen. Amy Klobuchar, D-Minn, added, before referencing the fact that Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., blocked Obama Supreme Court nominee Merrick Garland in 2016. “He said the American people should have a voice in this election, of their next Supreme Court justice.”
SCHUMER SAYS DEMOCRATS WON’T GIVE GOP QUORIM TO ADVANCE BARRETT NOMINATION
“It’s going to create a lot of bad will that doesn’t need to be created,” Senate Judiciary Committee Ranking Member Dianne Feinstein, D-Calif., warned.
Graham began to express his frustration, saying that he hoped to question the witness panels the committee had assembled Thursday. But he added that he will allow all senators to have their time to make their motions and give their speeches.
“I will let you decide what you do today. We’re going to vote on the judge on Oct. 22. But I would prefer if it’s possible we could hear from the panel, but I’ll leave it up to my colleagues.”
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Durbin, as debate continued on Blumenthal’s motion, began to lament both the proximity of the nomination to the election and the answers Barrett gave during the previous two days of hearings.
“I would be afraid to ask her about the presence of gravity on Earth,” Durbin said, “may come up in a case someday.”
“She’s denied that she even has a view on climate change,” Durbin said. “We are defying our own tradition, common sense … this nomination at this moment in time is not usual, not normal and it’s beneath the dignity of this committee.”
“I personally reject the idea that she wasn’t forthcoming,” Graham said before accusing Democrats of just aiming to attack Trump and having no real argument against the nominee. “The game has been since she was nominated to get back at Trump … If anybody in America is ready to go to the Supreme Court it’s Amy Barrett.”
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