Donald Trump plans second event for Amy Coney Barrett, Supreme Court nominee, despite first being linked to coronavirus outbreak
- White House preparing to celebrate judge’s expected confirmation to US Supreme Court by Republican Senate
- Barrett’s nomination event at Rose Garden a month ago was followed by wave of Covid-19 cases, including Trump’s own infection
The White House planned a Monday night celebration of the Republican Senate’s expected confirmation of Amy Coney Barrett to the US Supreme Court, a month after a similar event was linked to a Covid-19 outbreak that preceded President Donald Trump’s own infection.
While Democrats have fiercely opposed the conservative jurist’s nomination, Trump’s fellow Republicans hold a 53-47 Senate majority and her confirmation to a lifetime post on the court seems assured.
Trump pressed the Senate to confirm Barrett before the November 3 election, which would create a 6-3 conservative majority on the top US judicial body.
Barrett, a federal appeal court judge, is Trump’s third selection for the court, enabling him to remake it in a dramatic fashion as part of his success in moving the broader federal judiciary to the right since taking office in 2017.
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Donald Trump continues to downplay severity of Covid-19 as more US officials report infections
The September 26 Rose Garden ceremony at which Trump officially named Barrett to replace the late liberal Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg preceded a wave of Covid-19 cases among top Republicans including Trump and first lady Melania Trump. The president spent three nights hospitalised receiving Covid-19 treatment.
