The confirmation hearing for Supreme Court nominee Amy Coney Barrett will kick off Monday, in what promises to be a contentious process as senators question the woman chosen by President Donald Trump to replace the late Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg.
The hearing, conducted by the Senate’s Committee on the Judiciary, will be held mostly in person with at least two senators, Thom Tillis, R-North Carolina, and Mike Lee, R-Utah, joining by teleconference on Monday after they were diagnosed with COVID-19 last week. Tillis is expected to be in the chamber on Tuesday, having completed at least 10 days in quarantine.
>> READ Amy Coney Barrett’s opening statement ahead of Monday’s Supreme Court nomination hearing
Opening statements will be held Monday with questioning by Judiciary Committee members taking place over a two-day period. Testimony from outside witnesses will take place on Thursday.
A vote to recommend her nomination to the full Senate will be taken by the committee next week. The Senate will then take up the issue of the nomination.
Trump nominated Barrett to replace Ginsburg a week after she died from complications of pancreatic cancer in late September. Democrats objected to the nomination saying it came too close to a presidential election.
Here is what we know about the hearing and what happens next.
When: The hearing begins Monday with opening statements.
What time: The hearing begins at 9 a.m. ET each day beginning Monday and continuing through Thursday.
What channel: The cable news networks as well as PBS, NBC, ABC, and CBS will carry Barrett’s hearing live.
What is the schedule:
On Monday, opening statements will be given by Sen. Lindsay Graham, R-South Carolina, the chairman of the Judiciary Committee, and Sen. Dianne Feinstein, D-California, the ranking member of the committee. Then each of the other 20 senators on the panel will be given 10 minutes for a statement.
When all the committee members have finished, Sen. Todd Young, R-Indiana, and Sen. Michael Braun, R-Indiana, along with Patricia O’Hara, a former Notre Dame Law School dean, will introduce Barrett and talk about her qualifications for the high court. Each will give a 5-minute speech about Barrett.
Barrett will then be sworn in to testify, and will give her opening statement.
On Tuesday, questioning by senators will begin with each committee member getting 30 minutes to question Barrett.
On Wednesday, hearings will continue with senators getting 20 minutes each for questioning. If the questioning should continue on Wednesday, committee members would be limited to 10 minutes each for questioning.
On Thursday, testimony from outside witnesses is scheduled.
On Oct. 22, Graham said he plans to have a vote on Barrett’s confirmation and send the recommendation for her confirmation to the full Senate.
Who is on the committee:
The Republican members are:
Chairman Lindsey Graham, South Carolina
Chuck Grassley, Iowa
John Cornyn, Texas
Mike Lee, Utah
Ted Cruz, Texas
Ben Sasse, Nebraska
Josh Hawley, Missouri
Thom Tillis, North Carolina
Joni Ernst, Iowa
Mike Crapo, Idaho
John Kennedy, Louisiana
Marsha Blackburn, Tennessee
Democratic members are:
Dianne Feinstein, California
Patrick Leahy, Vermont
Dick Durbin, Illinois
Sheldon Whitehouse, Rhode Island
Amy Klobuchar, Minnesota
Chris Coon, Delaware
Richard Blumenthal, Connecticut
Mazie Hirono, Hawaii
Cory Booker, New Jersey
Kamala Harris, California
What are the chances of Barrett’s confirmation: Republicans hold a 53-47 majority in the Senate and it appears that enough Republicans have said they will support Barrett’s nomination for her to be confirmed.
Livestream: Here is the livestream of the event.