The Senate Judiciary Committee will start its hearing for Amy Coney Barrett
Amy Coney BarrettFauci says he was 'absolutely not' surprised Trump got coronavirus after Rose Garden event Push to expand Supreme Court faces Democratic buzzsaw Buttigieg says it's time to 'turn the page' on Trump administration MORE, President Trump
Donald John TrumpPolice say man dangling off Trump Tower Chicago demanding to speak with Trump Fauci says he was 'absolutely not' surprised Trump got coronavirus after Rose Garden event Biden: Trump 'continues to lie to us' about coronavirus MORE's Supreme Court nominee, on Oct. 12.
Though other nominees have been confirmed in fewer days, they were further away from the presidential election.
Judiciary Committee Chairman Lindsey Graham
Lindsey Olin GrahamPush to expand Supreme Court faces Democratic buzzsaw RNC chairwoman: Republicans should realize distancing themselves from Trump 'is hurting themselves in the long run' Latest Mnuchin-Pelosi call produces 'encouraging news on testing' for stimulus package MORE (R-S.C.) formally announced the hearing schedule on Saturday night after Trump named Barrett as his pick to succeed the late Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg
Ruth Bader GinsburgFauci says he was 'absolutely not' surprised Trump got coronavirus after Rose Garden event Push to expand Supreme Court faces Democratic buzzsaw Biden owes us an answer on court-packing MORE on the Supreme Court. "We'll start on the 12th, we'll have four days of hearings and then we'll hold over the nomination for a week ... and hopefully we'll come to the floor around the 26th,” Graham said.
Justices Neil Gorsuch
Neil GorsuchJudge Barrett's hearing: Democratic senators left holding an empty sack The politics of originalism Barrett refuses to say if she would recuse herself from election-related cases MORE and Brett Kavanaugh
Brett Michael KavanaughMajor abortion rights group calls for Democrats to replace Feinstein on Judiciary Committee Trump rebukes Collins amid difficult reelection fight Supreme Court battle turns into 2020 proxy war MORE, Trump's first two Supreme Court nominees, both had nearly two months between their formal nominations and the start of their hearings.
Under the schedule set by Graham, Barrett will have little more than two weeks.
Graham pledged that he would hold the hearings early enough that Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell
Addison (Mitch) Mitchell McConnellPush to expand Supreme Court faces Democratic buzzsaw Schumer labels McConnell's scheduled coronavirus stimulus vote as 'a stunt' Pelosi gives White House 48-hour deadline for coronavirus stimulus deal MORE (R-Ky.) would be able to hold a vote on the Senate floor before Nov. 3. Graham's schedule would set up a floor vote for the final week of October.
"We've got the votes to confirm Justice Ginsburg's replacement before the election. We're going to move forward in the committee. We're going to report the nomination out of the committee to the floor of the United States Senate so we can vote before the election," Graham told Fox News earlier this month.
Barrett's confirmation hearings are expected to follow a similar schedule to previous nominees, meaning it will last a total of four days: one for opening statements, two for questions and one for outside experts, the source confirmed.
The hearings will give Democrats their one public opportunity to grill her on a host of issues such as health care and a looming Supreme Court case that could decide the fate of the Affordable Care Act.
But they are powerless to stop Barrett's nomination on their own. Barrett's nomination for her seat on the United States Court of Appeals for the 7th Circuit was approved by the Judiciary Committee in 2017 along party lines, and every Republican supported her.
No Judiciary Committee Republican has signaled they have reservations about Barrett, and Graham predicted earlier this month that she would get the support of every GOP senator on the panel. GOP members of the Judiciary Committee have met in the Capitol this week to talk about strategy and timing.
"We're going to have a process that you will be proud of. The nominee is going to be supported by every Republican in the Judiciary Committee. And we've got the votes to confirm the ... justice on the floor of the Senate before the election, and that's what is coming," Graham told Fox News.
Updated 9:52 p.m.
