McConnell: Trump 'could not have made a better decision'

Sen. Mitch McConnell departs the Senate chamber on Monday, September 21. J. Scott Applewhite/AP

Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell said Trump "could not have made a better decision" in selecting Amy Coney Barrett as his Supreme Court nominee.

McConnell has been steadfast that the US Senate will vote on President Trump's nomination to the Supreme Court this year.

Pool

President Trump has selected Amy Coney Barrett to fill Ruth Bader Ginsburg's Supreme Court seat.

Barrett, 48, was a finalist for the Supreme Court spot that went to Brett Kavanaugh in 2018.

She was confirmed in 2017 for her current judgeship on the 7th US Circuit Court of Appeals, which covers Indiana, Illinois and Wisconsin.

Born in New Orleans in 1972 and a 1997 Notre Dame law graduate, Barrett worked in private practice and then became a law professor, settling at Notre Dame in 2002. She once served as a former law clerk to the late right-wing beacon Justice Antonin Scalia.

Barrett, if confirmed, will certainly tilt the high court further rightward for years to come. She has demonstrated her conservative bona fides on Second Amendment gun rights, immigration and abortion. You can read more about her writings here.

Watch:

Pool

President Trump is expected to announce who he is nominating to fill the late Ruth Bader Ginsburg's Supreme Court seat at 5 p.m. ET.

He'll make the announcement in the White House Rose Garden, which has been transformed to look similar to June 14, 1993 — the day then-President Bill Clinton announced Ginsburg’s nomination to the high court.

Trump is expected to nominate Amy Coney Barrett, according to multiple sources with knowledge of the process.

This will be the third person Trump has nominated to the Supreme Court, following Justices Neil Gorsuch and Brett Kavanaugh.

From left, Supreme Court Justices Neil Gorsuch and Brett Kavanaugh stand together at President Trump's State of the Union address on February 5, 2019. Doug Mills/Pool/The New York Times/AP

President Trump will soon announce his nominee to fill Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg's Supreme Court seat.

This will be the third time Trump has nominated someone to fill a Supreme Court vacancy.

His first Supreme Court pick was Neil Gorsuch in 2017, whom he selected to fill the vacancy created by the death of Justice Antonin Scalia. Former President Barack Obama had nominated Merrick Garland for the seat in 2016 — but Republicans refused to fill the election-year Supreme Court vacancy.

Then, in 2018, when Justice Anthony Kennedy announced his retirement, Trump nominated Brett Kavanaugh.

White House staff prepare the Rose Garden ahead of President Trump's scheduled Supreme Court nomination announcement on Saturday. Olivier Douliery/AFP/Getty Images

President Trump will soon announce his nominee to the US Supreme Court. He intends to choose Amy Coney Barrett, according to multiple sources with knowledge of the process.

Some Republican senators have signaled they will quickly move to take up the nomination following the announcement. This sets the stage for the possibility of a final confirmation vote before Election Day.

Two Republican senators — Sens. Lisa Murkowski and Susan Collins — have said they do not support voting on the nomination of a Supreme Court justice ahead of the election.

But now that Utah Republican Sen. Mitt Romney has signaled that he is on board with moving ahead with a vote, Barrett's likely to be confirmed barring any potential missteps.

According to a likely schedule being circulated around the Senate, the hearing to confirm Trump's pick could begin on Oct. 12.

President Trump will announce his Supreme Court justice nominee at 5 p.m. ET today. He intends to choose Amy Coney Barrett, according to multiple sources with knowledge of the process.

If you're just reading in, here's what we know about Barrett:

President Bill Clinton announces Ruth Bader Ginsburg's nomination to the Supreme Court on June 14, 1993. Ron Sachs/CNP/Getty Images

For the Supreme Court announcement today, the Rose Garden is being transformed to look similar to June 14, 1993 — the day then-President Bill Clinton announced Ruth Bader Ginsburg’s nomination to the high court.

It is a very distinctive look, with large flags hanging down from the Colonnade, one after another, between the columns.

A White House aide who is involved in making the preparations today sent a photo to CNN showing the flags. It is designed to replicate the look of Ginsburg’s announcement. 

President Trump and his advisers specifically asked for the Rose Garden to be adorned in hanging flags after they recently saw the Clinton-Ginsburg announcement replaying on television.

It’s a subtle — but noticeable — replication of that look, a White House aide says.

The likely confirmation hearing schedule in the Senate Judiciary Committee for Judge Amy Coney Barrett, President Trump’s expected pick for the Supreme Court vacancy, is being circulated to members of the Senate, according to three people familiar with the process.  

The schedule would be as follows: 

Remember: This schedule is subject to change if something unexpected comes up in the next few weeks, but Republicans are pretty locked in on this timeline. It would tee up a Senate floor vote shortly before Election Day.