Say hello to now-Supreme Court Justice Amy Coney Barrett. As far as judicial confirmation processes on Capitol Hill go, this one was fairly tame. We were expecting Brett Kavanaugh 2.0, but thankfully it did not come to fruition. Instead, Senate Judiciary Committee ranking member Dianne Feinstein even hugged Chairman Lindsey Graham because she was so pleased by his leadership.
And the vote was fairly straightforward. By a tally of 52-48, with Sen. Susan Collins (R-ME) casting the only Republican "no" vote, Judge Barrett became the newest member of the Supreme Court Monday night, and the first mother of school-aged children to ever get the title. President Trump promptly escorted her to the South Lawn of the White House to celebrate.
And the media predictably threw tantrums. According to one Bloomberg writer, Barrett already made her "first mistake" because she participated in a "political" proceeding following the vote.
Amy Coney Barrett makes her first mistake as a SCOTUS justice just moments after becoming a SCOTUS justice:
— Tim O'Brien (@TimOBrien) October 27, 2020
She takes part in an overly political proceeding affirming just how tawdry the process around her nomination and confirmation have been. https://t.co/15MmDoNQq1
O'Brien's followers agreed that the ceremony proved she had "lost her integrity." But National Republican Senatorial Committee Senior Adviser Matt Whitlock tried to calm them down with some proof of precedence. He even had pictures.
These cartoon characters know that every single Supreme Court Justice in the last 50 years has done a White House swearing in ceremony that looked and sounded exactly like this.
— Matt Whitlock (@mattdizwhitlock) October 27, 2020
Even followed the same format.
But gotta get those retweets. https://t.co/HBAn7dCpTM
Let me stop you there.
— Matt Whitlock (@mattdizwhitlock) October 27, 2020
Robert’s isn’t going to tell Judge Barrett she should be pictured at her swearing in with the President who nominated her.
Here’s why. https://t.co/AW451s5Upb pic.twitter.com/bXuFwSvSYe
Of course it wasn't just cable news having a freakout over Barrett's confirmation. There were plenty of temper tantrums right on the Senate floor. Before the Senate vote, Minority Leader Chuck Schumer wailed that he was witnessing "one of the darkest days" in American history.
Say it with me, "Justice Barrett." That has a nice ring to it.