Senate Judiciary Chairman Lindsey Graham (R-SC) has announced hearing dates for the nomination of Judge Amy Coney Barrett to the Supreme Court. The announcement comes only hours after President Trump officially nominated Barrett to the nation's highest office during a ceremony held in the White House Rose Garden on Saturday.
Sen. Graham announced opening statements to consider Barrett's nomination to serve as an Associate Justice on the Supreme Court will begin October 12, 2020.
"The hearing will last three to four days, using the format the committee has followed for recent Supreme Court nominees," reads a statement put out by the Senate Judiciary Committee. "Opening statements by Judiciary Committee members and the nominee will occur on Monday, October 12. The questioning of Judge Barrett will begin on Tuesday, October 13. Testimony by those who know Judge Barrett the best and legal experts is expected to follow."
President Trump previously nominated Barrett to the U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit. She was confirmed with a bipartisan vote to the Seventh Circuit by the U.S. Senate in 2017. Barrett is a native of South Bend, Indiana, and mother to seven children.
Despite partisan opposition to Barrett's nomination to the nation's highest court, Barrett has received praise and endorsements from a wide range of supporters across the political aisle, such as Noah Feldman. The liberal Harvard law professor and Democrat impeachment witness against President Trump who wrote an OpEd in Bloomberg praising Barrett's character and her qualifications for the Supreme Court.
