Thread by @sahilkapur

Senate Judiciary Republicans set a vote on Amy Coney Barrett on October 22 at 1 pm, per Lindsey Graham's motion. Nothing unusual about the one week holdover, it's typical and has also been telegraphed by the majority since before this hearing began.

Senate Judiciary Democrats launch some protest motions as Republicans advance the Barrett nomination. Durbin tries to adjourn the committee. Blumenthal seeks to postpone. Klobuchar calls it a "sham" and wants the Garland election-winner standard. Graham is unmoved.

Feinstein says Barrett nomination is "being done, I guess, to show power and push someone through," warns it'll create "bad will that doesn't need to be created."

Graham responds by saying Dems abolishing the filibuster for lower court noms (not SCOTUS) in 2013 led to this.

Durbin that when it comes to Supreme Court nominations, he has witnessed "a denigration of the process to the point where it's almost useless."

Dick Durbin on Amy Coney Barrett: "I would be afraid to ask her about the presence of gravity on earth. She may decline to answer because it could come up in a case!"

Chris Coons predicts that if Barrett is sent to the Supreme Court, "I believe she will open a new chapter of conservative judicial activism unlike anything we've seen in decades."

Interesting set of remarks from Senate Judiciary Cmte Democrats that serve as a backdrop to the question of what, if anything, they'll do if they gain power. (Anyone who confidently predicts the answer is making stuff up; highly uncertain, many variables.)

"I recognize, Mr. Chairman, that this goose is pretty much cooked," Cory Booker says of the Barrett nomination.

Graham and Booker share a positive moment talking First Step Act. Democrats sound annoyed about the Barrett process but aren't issuing threats and don't seem to want to get overly personal with the Republicans.

Cory Booker: “I don't know if anybody heard but I ran for president last year.” He quips that Lindsey Graham also ran for president and lost. “Way behind what you were able to do,” Graham tells him.

Sheldon Whitehouse to Republicans: "Don't think that when you have established the rule of 'because we can' that, should the shoe be on the other foot, that you will have any credibility to come to us and say, yeah I know you *can* do that but you *shouldn't* because of XYZ."

Sheldon Whitehouse (cont'd): "Your credibility to make that argument in the future will die in this room and on that Senate floor if you continue to proceed in this way."