Federal Spotlight: Barrett Confirmed to the Supreme Court

On Monday, the U.S. Senate voted to confirm 7th Circuit Court Judge Amy Coney Barrett to a lifetime appointment on the U.S. Supreme Court. In what became a very divisive and partisan matter, the Senate voted 52-48 with just one Republican, Sen. Susan Collins of Maine, voting with Democrats to oppose the confirmation. Barrett, who will be an associate justice, is replacing the late Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg who passed away in September. With her confirmation comes the solidification of the ideological balance of the U.S. Supreme Court being conservative or originalist in nature, which will have tremendous ramifications for decades to come. To counter this, progressive Democrats are calling for the court to be expanded should Democrats take control of the trifecta following the elections.