Republican Party races against time to confirm Amy Coney Barrett on US Supreme Court

Things have gathered pace in Republican Party camps in the US as the GOP closes ranks to hasten the process of confirming Amy Cony Barrett on the Supreme Court. In early hours of Sunday, US President Donald Trump nominated Amy Coney Barrett but a final seal of approval will come from US Senate that will confirm the nomination. Amy Coney Barrett will replace liberal Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg in the Supreme Court. Ginsburg passed away on September 18.

Republican Party has 53-47 majority in the Senate.

Senate Majority leader Mitch McConnell, himself a Republican, has already made confirming Amy Coney Barrett a paramount priority.

"I look forward to meeting with the nominee next week and will carefully study her record and credentials," he said,"As I have stated, this nomination will receive a vote on the Senate floor in the weeks ahead."

Whythe hurry

Amy Coney Barrett is known for her conservative views. Republican Party's vote base is conservative Americans. If Amy Coney Barrett gets confirmed on the Supreme Court, the conservative judges will have 6-3 majority over judges who are more liberal.

Moreover, the republican party is trying hard to confirm Amy Coney Barrett before November 3 US Presidential Elections.

In 2000, US Supreme Court had to resolve US Presidential Elections after the votes had been cast and counted. Republican Party's George Bush was declared winner of the election.

It is being said that by confirming Amy Coney Barrett in Supreme Court, Republicans envisage a possible advantage if Supreme Court needs to get involved to resolve US Elections 2020.

Amy Coney Barrett to meet Senators

Barrett is expected to begin meetings with individual senators on Tuesday. Trump said the Senate Judiciary Committee, chaired by his ally Senator Lindsey Graham, would begin confirmation hearings on Oct. 12.

Like Trump's two other appointees, Neil Gorsuch in 2017 and Brett Kavanaugh in 2018, Barrett is young enough that she could serve for decades in the lifetime job, leaving a lasting conservative imprint. Trump's two previous appointments were surrounded by controversy.

'Hypocrite' Republican Party?

Republican Party is drawing criticism for trying to rush through things just to obtain advantage in presidential elections.

In 2016, when then-President Barack Obama wanted to fill Supreme Court vacancy, Mitch McConnell had refused to hold Senate hearing saying that such a step could not be taken during an election year.

Now the Republicans are doing the same thing for their favoured Supreme Court nominee not just in an election year but just weeks before the presidential elections.

What options do Democrats have?

At the moment very few. Although two Republican Senators have said that they will not support Trump's nominee, another defection from the Republican camp would bring the Senate strength during the vote to 50-50. Vice-President Mike Pence can then exercise casting vote in favour of Amy Coney Barrett.

Biden and his vice presidential running mate Kamala Harris, a member of the Judiciary Committee, blasted Trump's choice of Barrett, focusing in particular on the threat they said she would pose to healthcare for millions of Americans.

Biden noted that even as Trump's administration is seeking to strike down Obamacare in a case the Supreme Court is due to hear on Nov. 10, Barrett has a "written track record" criticizing a pivotal 2012 ruling authored by Chief Justice John Roberts preserving the healthcare law formally known as the Affordable Care Act. If quickly confirmed, Barrett could be on the bench to hear that case.

Democrats also fretted that Barrett could help overturn the landmark 1973 Roe v. Wade decision that legalized abortion nationwide, a goal of religious conservatives.

"Trump's hand-picked successor to Justice Ginsburg's seat makes it clear: they intend to destroy the Affordable Care Act & overturn Roe. This selection would move the court further right for a generation & harm millions of Americans," Harris wrote on Twitter on Saturday.

An emboldened Supreme Court conservative majority could shift the United States to the right on hot-button issues by, among other things, curbing abortion rights, expanding religious rights, striking down gun control laws, halting the expansion of LGBT rights, and endorsing new restrictions on voting rights.

(With Reuters inputs)