Next steps in battle for Supreme Court seat
The U.S. Supreme Court building before dawn in Washington on Oct. 5, 2018. Credit: AP / J. David Ake
Now that President Donald Trump has announced his Supreme Court nominee, Senate Republicans plan to cut the average time of recent confirmation processes in half to five weeks so they can vote on the nominee before the Nov. 3 election.
Here are the expected next steps:
Trump submits his nomination
Trump sends the nomination to the Senate Judiciary Committee. The nominee pays courtesy visits to senators.
The committee vets the nominee
The committee vets the nominee with a questionnaire and staff and FBI investigations. The American Bar Association rates the nominee’s qualifications.
Public hearings commence
During the week of Oct. 12, the committee aims to hold public hearings. Senators will question the nominee over three days about her qualifications, judgment, philosophy and any controversy. Experts and advocates testify about the nominee on the fourth and final day.
Time to debate and vote
The committee meets in the next week to publicly debate and vote on whether to recommend approval, which the committee’s Republican majority likely will do.
Off to the full Senate
The committee then sends the nomination to the full Senate.
Supreme Court nominee Amy Coney Barrett is a judge on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit. Credit: University of Notre Dame Law School / Julian Velasco via EPA
The Senate debates
The Senate debates the nomination. Democrats will seek to delay the vote until after the election but under a rule change Republicans need only 51 votes instead of 60 votes to end a filibuster.
The Senate votes
The Senate votes on the nomination. A simple majority of those present can approve the nominee. The vice president would break a tie.
The appointment
The president signs a commission officially appointing the new justice. She then takes a judicial and a constitutional oath of office. The court swears her in again. Then she can take her seat on the bench as soon as three or so days after the Senate vote.
Sarra Sounds Off, Ep.16: From Island to island, how football helped overcome tragedy Newsday's Gregg Sarra talks to Carey football player James McGrath about how he has persevered after losing his parents at a young age, and to the Lahainaluna (Hawaii) High School football coach about how his team persevered after the Maui wildfires of 2023, plus a behind-the-scenes look at the All-Long Island teams photo shoot.
Sarra Sounds Off, Ep.16: From Island to island, how football helped overcome tragedy Newsday's Gregg Sarra talks to Carey football player James McGrath about how he has persevered after losing his parents at a young age, and to the Lahainaluna (Hawaii) High School football coach about how his team persevered after the Maui wildfires of 2023, plus a behind-the-scenes look at the All-Long Island teams photo shoot.
