Published 06:35 IST, September 27th 2020
Biden urges Senate not to vote on Ginsburg's seat before election as Trump names Barrett
Joe Biden has urged the US Senate to wait until the next president is elected in the upcoming polls before voting to fill the vacant seat at the Supreme Court.
- World News
- 2 min read
Democratic Presidential Nominee Joe Biden on Saturday, September 26 (local time) urged the US Senate to wait until the next president is elected in the upcoming polls before voting to fill the vacant seat at the Supreme Court.
This comes after US President Donald Trump’s nomination of Amy Coney Barrett triggered a coordinated attack from the Democratic party leaders. The former US Vice President noted that Trump’s choice for the Supreme Court has a “written track record” of disagreeing with the apex court’s decision to uphold the Affordable Care Act while also critiquing the Chief Justice John Roberts’ majority opinion upholding the law in 2012.
Biden thus argued that the ‘Senate should wait’ and ‘not act’ immediately to fill the seat left vacant following the death of Ruth Bader Ginsburg. He added that the US citizens understand how the decisions made at the US Supreme Court would impact their day-to-day lives and therefore, the House should delay the procedure until the next US President enters the White House.
A 48-year-old federal appeals court judge, Amy Coney Barrett is popular among the religious conservatives and anti-abortion campaigners. Barret is favoured by the conservatives to fill up the vacant seat left by Ginsburg, a liberal icon who is celebrated as a pioneer of women’s rights. Even though media reports had speculated Trump's nomination of Barrett for the position at the Supreme Court, in a press conference on Saturday the US President confirmed his choice.
Democrats outraged over Trump's nomination
US Democratic party leaders have strongly condemned Trump's nomination. From Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden, his running mate Kamala Harris to US House of Representative Speaker Nancy Pelosi, all senior members of Trump’s rival party have decried the Republican leader's move that would shift the nation’s highest bench to the conservative side if confirmed.
Nancy Pelosi noted that during his term at the White House, Trump has continuously attempted to scrap the Affordable Care Act. According to the House Speaker, Barrett’s nomination threatens the destruction of all benefits provided by the act to millions of US citizens.
Updated 06:35 IST, September 27th 2020