How this Supreme Court fight will be very different

Political Theater, Episode 145

Supreme Court nominee Judge Amy Coney Barrett, center, arrives at the Capitol on Wednesday for Day Two of her meetings with senators.  (Bill Clark/CQ Roll Call)
Supreme Court nominee Judge Amy Coney Barrett, center, arrives at the Capitol on Wednesday for Day Two of her meetings with senators. (Bill Clark/CQ Roll Call)
Jason Dick
Posted September 30, 2020 at 9:57pm

As if the 2020 presidential campaign wasn’t already tense enough, we now have a high-profile Supreme Court confirmation fight playing out in the Senate.

Asked about the high court at Tuesday night’s presidential debate — I guess we could technically call what happened Tuesday night in Cleveland a debate — President Donald Trump and former Vice President Joe Biden acknowledged there is a lot at stake.

Amy Coney Barrett, Trump’s nominee to replace the late Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg, is already meeting with senators on Capitol Hill, and Republicans in charge of the proceedings are aiming to confirm her before Election Day.

And, because it is 2020, things will look and play out differently during the confirmation debate. Joining us on this episode of Political Theater are CQ Roll Call senior writer Todd Ruger, who covers the judiciary and legal affairs, and staff writer Katherine Tully McManus, who covers congressional leaders and was witness to the beginning of what promises to a be a short, strange trip for the Senate.