ARI SHAPIRO, HOST:
The Senate Judiciary Committee continued its questioning of Judge Amy Coney Barrett today. The panel could vote as early as tomorrow on whether to move her nomination closer to confirmation to the Supreme Court. With Republicans in the majority, she is all but guaranteed to make it to a vote by the full Senate.
AILSA CHANG, HOST:
Despite, or perhaps because of, this near certainty, partisan tempers flared in the committee room, with Republicans calling out Democrats for tying the nomination to the election and Democrats expressing anger at the speed with which Barrett will likely be seated.
(SOUNDBITE OF MONTAGE)
DICK DURBIN: Unfortunately, that is the cloud - the orange cloud over your nomination.
CHUCK GRASSLEY: Democrat strategy continues to be to use scare tactics, distortions and speculation.
AMY KLOBUCHAR: I just find it hard to understand that you were not aware of the president's statements.
TED CRUZ: There's chair after chair after chair that is empty. The Democratic senators are no longer even attending. I assume they'll show up for their time.
SHAPIRO: Like yesterday, Barrett refused to answer any questions about cases that may one day appear before the Supreme Court. And she repeated her position on judicial activism, saying that laws are meant to be made by the legislative branch.
(SOUNDBITE OF ARCHIVED RECORDING)
AMY CONEY BARRETT: Since I can't impose the law of Amy, that would be up to the Congress to decide. Transcript provided by NPR, Copyright NPR.