Donald Trump and Amy Coney Barrett after White House swearing-in ceremony for her Supreme Court seat

Donald Trump and Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell complete the rushed confirmation of Amy Coney Barrett as an arch-conservative Supreme Court Justice.

McConnell’s hasty process, without precedent in US history, was completed in less than six weeks with a 52-48 vote. Only one Republican, Susan Collins of Maine, defied the rush — in part for Trump to have another conservative justice on the Court if he defied the outcome of the November 3 election.

In comparison, McConnell and Senate Republicans blocked the confirmation of Judge Merrick Garland, nominated by President Barack Obama, for 11 months in 2016.

Soon after the vote for Barrett, McConnell adjourned the Senate, blocking any possible action on a Coronavirus relief bill of about $2 trillion before November 9.

Negotiations between House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin neared agreement last week. But McConnell let it be known that he would not advance any bill on the Senate floor before the elections.

With the new Senate not taking its seats until early January, there is little of that blockade being lifting before then.

The developments came as the US death toll reached 225,720. Confirmed cases are 8,703,635.

But McConnell had boasted on Sunday about his priority:

A lot of what we’ve done over the last four years will be undone sooner or later by the next election. They won’t be able to do much about this for a long time to come.

Coronavirus, the Election, and the Court

Trump then sent a pointed signal both about Barrett and Coronavirus, with an unusual nighttime swearing-in ceremony at the White House.

Justice Clarence Thomas administered the oath in front of an audience with more than a dozen Republican Senators who had just voted for the confirmation.

A White House ceremony on Supreme Court for Trump to introduce his nominee became a “super-spreader” of Coronavirus. Since then, more than 30 Administration and Republican figures, including Donald and Melania Trump, tested positive.

The Government’s top Coronavirus expert, Dr. Anthony Fauci, had warned against a repetition, saying he was “absolutely not surprised” that Trump had contracted the virus.

But having pushed aside Fauci and called him a “disaster”, Trump proceeded with last night’s spectacle. He posed with Barrett on the White House balcony, proclaiming that her seat on the Court carried forward “the cause of freedom”.

With no hint of irony, as she stood beside the man who had bragged that she would tilt the Court, Barrett said she would conduct her new job “independently of both branches [of government] and of my own preferences”.

The appointment could have immediate and long-term consequences. Beyond her possible role in adjudicating the election, Barrett is a fierce personal and political opponent of abortion. She could also join with other conservatives in forthcoming cases to undermine the Affordable Care Act, endorse Trump’s anti-immigration plans, and roll back the rights of same-sex couples.

Her impact could be felt right away. There are major election disputes awaiting immediate action by the Supreme Court from the battleground states of North Carolina and Pennsylvania. Both concern the date by which absentee ballots may be accepted. The Court may also rule soon on a last-ditch attempt from Trump’s personal lawyers to block the release of his financial records to a grand jury in a New York City court.

Biden: Vote to Show “This Abuse of Power Doesn’t Represent You”

Democratic Presidential candidate Joe Biden linked the rushed confirmation to the importance of next week’s votes for the White House and Congress:

The rushed and unprecedented confirmation of Amy Coney Barrett as Associate Justice to the Supreme Court, in the middle of an ongoing election, should be a stark reminder to every American that your vote matters….

If you want to protect your health care, if you want your voice to be heard in Washington, if you want to say no, if this abuse of power doesn’t represent you — then turn out and vote.

He emphasized the significance of Barrett in the attempts by Trump and McConnell to dismantle ObamaCare, removing protection for tens of millions of Americans.

The two men failed in 2018 to repeal the Affordable Care Act through legislation, with the late Sen. John McCain — the 2008 Republican Presidential nominee hated and insulted by Trump — casting the decisive vote.

Biden said in his statement:

This goal — the goal of the Republican Party for ten years — was a litmus test in selecting this nominee, regardless of the damage done to the US Senate, to Americans’ faith in the legitimacy of the Supreme Court, and to our democracy, and regardless of how the Affordable Care Act has protected hundreds of millions of people and during the pandemic.

Biden, in his statement, repeatedly urged those who disagree with Barrett’s confirmation to head to the polls.