Amy Coney Barrett confirmed as Democrats warn of affront to democracy – live

Outraged reaction to the 11th-hour confirmation of justice Amy Coney Barrett continues to pour in.

“We have one message,” says Ben Jealous, president of the progressive People For the American Way good-governance group: “vote them out… because they don’t care about you.”

Here’s the full statement from Jealous:

For every American whose home-state senator voted to confirm Amy Coney Barrett to the Supreme Court, we have one message: vote them out. Vote them out, whether your opportunity comes in the next few days or in two years, because they don’t care about you. Any senator who voted to confirm Barrett voted to undo the Affordable Care Act and protections for preexisting conditions. They voted to disenfranchise millions of people, in the event Donald Trump refuses to accept electoral defeat and seeks help from his appointees on the Supreme Court. They voted to turn back the clock on LGBTQ rights, racial equity, reproductive rights and workers’ rights. But we don’t have to stand for it, because we get the final say at the ballot box. And we will make our voices heard.”

National Education Association president Becky Pringle blasts the senate for moving on a supreme court nominee at a time when “our educators, our students” are reeling:

While we work together in the midst of multiple crises — a historic public health emergency, an economic fallout not seen since the Great Depression, and a social and racial justice reckoning centuries in the making — our educators, our students, our families, and our communities are reeling. Yet Senate Republicans have refused to provide COVID-19 relief that American families desperately need. Instead, Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell chose to ram through an extreme nominee who threatens our very health care, our union rights, our voting rights, our civil rights and our students’ rights. We will not forget what Donald Trump and Mitch McConnell have done to stack our courts while ignoring the pressing issues of the country.

Joe Biden has been coy about whether he would support expanding the supreme court in response to the hijacking by conservatives of one seat and their rushed replacement of a second.

Not coy: the president’s niece:

Progressive groups are demanding an expansion of the court for the first time in more than a century, putting pressure on a Biden administration to make it a top priority. It would be great pressure for Biden to be under, in the sense that if he is in position to expand the court, it will have meant that he won the presidency and Democrats won the senate.

Nan Aron, president of the progressive Alliance for Justice, said Barrett’s confirmation “cemented” a “conservative takeover of the supreme court”.

“They have lied, cheated, and compromised democracy,” Aron said.

Here’s Aron’s full statement, which ends with a call for progressive activists to “to show them everything we have up our sleeves”:

“With the completion of the sham process to confirm Amy Coney Barrett, Republican lawmakers have cemented their conservative takeover of the Supreme Court and lower courts. They have blocked the nominees of Democratic presidents, weakened or broken Senate rules, and abandoned any pretense of scrutinizing the impartiality of their Federalist Society-approved nominees.

“They have lied, cheated, and compromised democracy to secure control for the wealthy and powerful with every intention of turning back the clock on rights and protections for everybody else. They want to take health care away from millions of people, limit access to reproductive care based on zip code, and subject workers to harassment and discrimination. Too many bills to protect Americans and protect our democracy have died in McConnell’s legislative graveyard while Trump’s judges sailed right through.

“Our fight, however, is far from over. We know that their control is illegitimate and far from full-proof. We know that their ideas are as unpopular as ever. And we know that liberals and progressives recognize as clearly as ever how vital the courts will be to advancing our more perfect nation.

“Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg earned the nickname ‘Notorious RBG’ by refusing to compromise on what she knew was right. While Senate Republicans spent the last month knowingly violating her dying wish, we will honor her legacy by using every tool at our disposal to dismantle and disempower the conservative takeover of our courts.

“Republican lawmakers have shown us all of the cards in their rigged deck. Now it’s time to show them everything we have up our sleeves. Game on.”

Hello and welcome to our round-the-clock coverage of the 2020 US presidential election. It’s Tuesday! Just one week to go until election day.

Republicans in the US Senate confirmed judge Amy Coney Barrett to the supreme court on Monday evening with only one Republican, Susan Collins of Maine, who is in a tough reelection fight, voting against Barrett. Donald Trump hosted Barrett for a ceremonial swearing-in outside at the White House, administered by justice Clarence Thomas.

“This is a very special and important ceremony,” Trump said, in a speech that explicitly framed Barrett as a victory in generational culture war. “We are fulfilling the duty that passes to each new generation to sustain the national traditions and virtues that make possible everything before that.”

Joe Biden said that the “rushed and unprecedented” proceedings “should be a stark reminder to every American that your vote matters.” The full statement is here. Read our previous blog for further news and reaction.

Donald Trump made three stops in the battleground state of Pennsylvania yesterday, and Joe Biden paid an unscheduled visit there. We’ll have a lot from the campaign trail today. Thanks for joining us!