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When do the Amy Coney Barrett Supreme Court nomination hearings begin?

Michael Geheren and Alexa Mencia

WASHINGTON (NewsNation Now) — The Senate hearing to consider Judge Amy Coney Barrett to be the next associate justice on the U.S. Supreme Court begins on Monday at 9 a.m. EDT.

What: The Supreme Court nomination hearings for Amy Coney Barrett
Who: Judge Amy Coney Barrett appears in front of the Senate Committee on the Judiciary
When: Monday — Thursday at 9 a.m. EDT
Where: Hart Senate Office Building
How to watch live: NewsNationNow.com and the NewsNation Now app


President Donald Trump nominated Barrett to fill the late Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg’s seat on the Supreme Court on Sept. 26 at a ceremony in the White House Rose Garden, which turned into an event of interest related to COVID-19.

Seventh U.S. Circuit Court Judge Amy Coney Barrett (R) speaks after U.S. President Donald Trump announced that she will be his nominee to the Supreme Court in the Rose Garden at the White House September 26, 2020 in Washington, DC. (Photo by Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images)

The 48-year-old U.S. Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit judge is President Trump’s third nomination to the Supreme Court, after Neil Gorusch and Brett Kavanaugh.

The hearings, despite criticism by Democrats, are moving forward on Monday. The chamber is also on a previously unscheduled recess following coronavirus diagnoses for Republican Sens. Mike Lee, Thom Tillis, and Ron Johnson.

The Senate Judiciary Committee, chaired by Republican Sen. Lindsey Graham, is charged with investigating the background and qualifications of any nominee.

A view inside the hearing room where the Senate Judiciary Committee will hold the confirmation hearing for Supreme Court Justice nominee Amy Coney Barrett in the Hart Senate Office Building on October 9, 2020 in Washington, DC. The Senate Judiciary Committee hearing for Barrett’s nomination will begin on Monday morning. (Photo by Drew Angerer/Getty Images)

The Judiciary Committee’s public hearings, which last several days, are a highly anticipated event for every Supreme Court nominee, during which the public gets to hear the candidate in her own words answer questions from senators, typically related to judicial philosophy and often the nominee’s opinions on hot-button social issues like abortion.

Recent nominees have typically kept those views close to their chests. Senators often follow up the testimony with further questions posed to the nominee in writing.

A vote by the committee will send the nomination to the full Senate.

Graham has said he hopes his committee will approve Barrett’s nomination by the week of Oct. 26, setting up a final confirmation vote on the Senate floor one week before the Nov. 3 presidential election.

Hand sanitizer and disinfecting wipes sit at the table where Supreme Court Justice nominee Amy Coney Barrett will testify during her confirmation hearings next week in the Hart Senate Office Building on October 9, 2020 in Washington, DC. The Senate Judiciary Committee hearing for Barrett’s nomination will begin on Monday morning. (Photo by Drew Angerer/Getty Images)

The Federal Bureau of Investigation will complete its own investigation and share its findings with the Judiciary Committee. The American Bar Association, a national nonpartisan lawyers’ group, will also evaluate Barrett and deliver a rating on whether she is qualified to sit on the high court.

Since Senate Republicans in 2017 eliminated for Supreme Court nominations a procedural tactic often used by the minority party to hold up a vote, called the filibuster, a simple majority of the 100 members must vote to confirm. That appears likely given Republicans have a 53-47 majority and only two Republican senators have publicly opposed Trump’s bid to fill the seat.

A guard is seen wearing a mask in front of the US Supreme Court on October 2, 2020, in Washington, DC. (Photo by BRENDAN SMIALOWSKI/AFP via Getty Images)

Hearing Witness Schedule

As of Oct. 9, 2020, this is the schedule. Testimony by those who know Judge Barrett and legal experts is expected to follow the questioning of Barrett.

Monday, Oct. 12
tuesday, OCT. 13
Wednesday, OCT. 14
Thursday, OCT. 15

Members of the Senate Judiciary Committee

Majority (Republicans)
Minority (Democrats)

Nomination Documents

Questionnaire
More Documents