Washington, October 26 The U.S. Senate voted on the evening of the 26th to approve conservative Judge Amy Corny Barrett as Justice of the Federal Supreme Court to fill the late liberal Justice Ruth · The seat of Bud Ginsberg.
Barrett was then sworn in. At this point, the number of conservative and liberal justices in the Federal Supreme Court has become 6 to 3, and the advantage of conservatives has further expanded.
In the past few weeks, the Republican and Democratic parties have fought fiercely to fill the vacancy of justices. Analysts believe that it has become a fact that the Federal Supreme Court will continue to “swing to the right” in the future, which will have an important impact on the United States in the short and long term.
Fierce partisanship
Fierce partisanship That night, the entire Senate voted 52 votes in favor and 48 votes against it. No Democrats voted in favor, only one Republican voted against. In the long debate before the vote, Republicans unanimously praised Barrett for her excellent resume and qualifications, while Democrats focused on questioning
her position on issues such as “Obamacare”, and accused Republicans of the U.S. election day before the polling day and the new crown epidemic. China hastily advanced the process of nomination and approval of justices.
Barrett began serving as a judge of the US Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit in 2017.
She was an assistant to the late famous conservative Justice Antonin Scalia of the Federal Supreme Court. Barrett previously said in a congressional hearing that she believes that the Federal Supreme Court should maintain its independence. The Federal Supreme Court should interpret how the US Constitution and other laws are written.
Whether or not to appoint a justice right now is the focus of bipartisan debate. When there was a vacancy on the Federal Supreme Court in early 2016, then President Obama nominated liberal Judge Merrick Garland, but the Republicans who controlled the Senate refused to proceed with the nomination process on the grounds that the United States had entered an election year.
This year is also a general election year.
The time when a seat on the Federal Supreme Court appears to be vacant is closer to voting day than four years ago, while Republicans are rapidly advancing the nominating process. Democrats criticize Republicans for double standards, the purpose is to seize power.
Influence election
Influence election The dispute to fill the vacancy of the Federal Supreme Court is also a hot topic in this presidential election.
President Trump, who is seeking re-election, and the Democratic presidential candidate and former U.S. Vice President Biden had heated debates over this issue in the television debate.
Trump has always regarded the successful nomination of the Supreme Court Justice as a personal landmark achievement. He has previously successfully sent two conservative judges to the Federal Supreme Court.
Christopher Galdieri, a political science expert at St. Anselm College in the United States, said in an interview with a reporter from Xinhua News Agency that before the election day, Republicans had “one more city” in the battle for justices, which helped boost morale.
Galdieri also said that although Democrats are frustrated, dissatisfaction with Republicans will also increase the enthusiasm of the Democratic camp for donations and voting.
Analysts believe that Barrett’s new appointment may have an impact on the presidential election. Because of the new crown epidemic, the United States has adjusted its voting rules in many places, many of which involve the issue of mailed ballots, which has also triggered many lawsuits. Some cases involving key “swing states” have been appealed to the Federal Supreme Court.
Polls and research have found that Democratic voters are more likely to use mail-in votes than Republican voters. Trump has repeatedly questioned the fairness of mailed votes and this year’s election, and also hinted that the Federal Supreme Court may eventually intervene.
Historically, the Federal Supreme Court has made a ruling that affected the outcome of the US presidential election. In 2000, the then Republican presidential candidate Bush Jr. and Democratic presidential candidate Al Gore had a stalemate in their elections.
Florida, which decided the outcome of the two parties, had a vote count dispute. After the case was appealed to the Federal Supreme Court, the conservative justices relied on one vote. A ruling in favor of Bush Jr. won the election because of this.
A more conservative future
A more conservative future Barrett is 48 years old and is currently the youngest among the nine justices. The other five conservative justices are between 53 and 72 years old.
The justices have a lifetime term, which means that for a long time in the future, the Federal Supreme Court will be firmly dominated by conservatives, and it will have a profound impact on the future development of American society.
Although conservatives had an advantage in the Federal Supreme Court before, Chief Justice John Roberts has become more and more like a “swing vote” and has stood with liberals in several rulings.
After Barrett joins the Federal Supreme Court, the influence of conservatives has been consolidated, and the role of Roberts’ “swing vote” will be weakened.
Liberals worry that, as a result, precedents in areas such as “Obamacare”, abortion, and environmental regulation are more likely to be overturned.
Democrats are also trying to find a way to check and balance. Biden recently announced that if he wins the election, he will order the establishment of a cross-party committee to propose reforms to the Federal Supreme Court and the federal judicial system.
However, when asked by the media whether he supports increasing the number of seats in the Federal Supreme Court, Biden has always refused to make a clear statement.
According to analysis by Clay Ramsey, a researcher at the University of Maryland, after this year’s election, if Democrats win the White House and Senate and hold the House of Representatives, they are likely to initiate the reform process of the Federal Supreme Court; if the White House and the Senate are divided into two parties,
Federal Supreme The court will be caught in the midst of partisan disputes; if Trump is re-elected and the conservative-led Federal Supreme Court is added, the United States may lean further to the right, and the “reaction force” encountered may also be stronger, thereby intensifying political confrontation and peace. Social tearing.
