Kamala Harris Calls Barrett's Confirmation 'Illegitimate' After Senate Vote

WASHINGTON (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 27th October, 2020) Democratic candidate for the post of US Vice President Kamala Harris says the Monday confirmation of Amy Coney Barrett as a Supreme Court Justice was an "illegitimate process."

"Today Republicans denied the will of the American people by confirming a Supreme Court justice through an illegitimate process�all in their effort to gut the Affordable Care Act and strip health care from millions with pre-existing conditions. We won't forget this," Harris wrote on Twitter late on Monday, after Barrett was sworn in at a ceremony at the White House late on Monday, taking the first of the two oaths required for her to officially become a Supreme Court Justice.

Earlier on Monday, the US Senate confirmed Judge Amy Coney Barrett's nomination to be a Supreme Court justice by a 52-48 vote, strictly along partisan lines, filling the vacancy left by the late Ruth Bader Ginsburg.

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi said in a statement commenting on Barrett's confirmation that the United States now had "a radical Republican court."

"Eight days from Election Day, after 60 million Americans have already cast their ballots, President Trump and the GOP Senate have committed an act of supreme desperation by jamming through a Supreme Court justice - all so that they can achieve their years-long campaign to destroy Americans' health care," Pelosi said, adding that now "Americans must continue to make their voices heard in the election.

Congress will have to reverse the damage of a radical Republican court and defend pre-existing condition protections together with every other benefit and protection of the Affordable Care Act."

Pelosi called Barrett's appointment to the Supreme Court a "manipulation" that threatens the rights of the American people.

"We must have a Congress that is prepared to remedy what the Supreme Court will do to undermine the health, financial security and well-being of American families," Pelosi said.

The US Supreme Court had a vacant spot after Ginsburg, 87, died in September of complications from metastatic pancreatic cancer at her home in Washington.

After the Monday Senate vote, Barrett took the constitutional oath at the White House swearing in ceremony. On Tuesday, Chief Justice Roberts will administer Barrett's judicial oath and she will officially be a Supreme Court Justice and on the job.

US President Donald Trump had wanted to fast-track Barrett's confirmation because he feels the November 3rd presidential election could end up being decided by the Supreme Court. The Democrats had been pushing back, arguing that the winner of the election should be the one to fill the vacancy.

The Supreme Court is expected to take up the latest lawsuit challenging the constitutionality of the Affordable Care Act. The court has previously rejected other constitutional challenges to the law, widely known as Obamacare.