A vote by the U.S. Senate to confirm Judge Amy Coney Barrett as a justice on the U.S. Supreme Court is expected to come Monday night, despite protests by the chamber’s Democrats who have called the process a “sham.”
On Sunday, the Senate voted along party lines, 51-48, to stop a Democratic filibuster of Barrett’s nomination, triggering a 30-hour countdown to a final confirmation vote.
Barrett was nominated by President Donald Trump to replace Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg who died in September. Barrett, at 48 years old, will be the youngest justice on the court.
Democrats, who have strongly protested Barrett’s nomination so close to a presidential election, can do nothing on their own to stop the confirmation. It would take a defection by several Republicans to stop Barrett from taking a seat on the court.
Alaska Sen. Lisa Murkowski, a Republican, who had opposed filling the vacant seat on the high court so close to a presidential election, said on Sunday that she intended to vote for Barrett on Monday.
“While I oppose the process that has led us to this point,” Murkowski said in a Saturday floor speech, “I do not hold it against her as an individual who has navigated the gauntlet with grace, skill and humility.”
One Republican senator, Maine’s Susan Collins, said she will not vote to confirm Barrett to the court.
Democrats, who chose to boycott the Judiciary Committee vote to move Barrett’s nomination to the Senate floor, took to the floor on Sunday and vowed to hold it until the vote on Barrett takes place.
“Confirming a lifetime appointment this late into a presidential election season is outrageous,” Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-New York, said Sunday. “There is no escaping this glaring hypocrisy. ... No tit for tat, convoluted, distorted version of history will wipe away the stain that will exist forever with this Republican majority and with this Republican leader. No escaping the hypocrisy. But oh, my, how the Republican leader has almost desperately tried.”
“We’ve made an important contribution to the future of this country,” Senate Majority Leader Mitch Connell, R-Kentucky, said.
Here is what we know about the Senate vote:
What time: The vote will take place sometime after 6:30 p.m. ET, Monday, or 30 hours after the Senate voted to limit debate on the nomination. The vote will likely happen at around 8 p.m. ET.
How to watch: Cable news networks, such as Fox News and CNN, will be broadcasting the vote live, along with CSPAN. While the network channels — ABC, CBS, NBC and Fox — have not yet announced their plans, they will likely broadcast the vote live as well.
Livestream: You can watch a livestream of the vote here.