"This is probably not about persuading each other unless something really dramatic happens,"Senate Judiciary Committee chair Lindsey Graham said in his opening statement on Tuesday (AEST)."All the Republicans will vote yes,all the Democrats will vote no."
Republicans on the committee argue that Barrett,currently a judge on the US Court of Appeals,was impeccably qualified to sit on the Supreme Court,adding there is no constitutional barrier to approving her nomination so close to an election.
Despite Democrats'anger,Barrett looks on track for a speedy confirmation before election day,with Graham predicting his committee would approve her nomination in a party-line vote by the end of the week.
That would set the stage for a full vote by the Republican-dominated Senate next week.
Coronavirus concerns kept several members of the committee — including Democratic presidential candidate Joe Biden's running mate Kamala Harris — from the room as they opted to appear via video link. But Mike Lee,a Republican Senator who tested positive for COVID-19 earlier this month,attended the meeting in Washington in-person.
In her opening statement,Barrett said she followed the same judicial philosophy as the late conservative justice Antonin Scalia:"A judge must apply the law as written,not as the judge wishes it were."