Harris condemns Barrett’s nomination in Ginsburg tribute [Video]

WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW:

• Democratic vice-presidential candidate and Senator Kamala Harris (Calif.) on Monday gave a speech as a tribute to the late Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg.
• She also condemned Judge Amy Coney Barrett, President Donald Trump’s nominee to fill the post left by Ginsburg.
• Democrats have slammed the Senate GOPs for pushing to make a vote on Barrett’s nomination weeks ahead before November 3rd election.

On Monday, Democratic vice-presidential candidate and Senator Kamala Harris (Calif.) paid her respect to the late Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg. She then slammed President Donald Trump’s nominee, Judge Amy Coney Barrett, who is set to be her successor.

Ginsburg, a champion of the judiciary’s liberal wing, was commended by Harris for her contributions.

“She was part of our culture. Because of her, [Americans can] get the jobs of their dreams, fight for equal pay for their work, marry the person they love, serve the country they love, and enjoy the full rights and privileges of citizenship that they deserve, free of discrimination,” Harris told reporters.

“That legacy, her belief in all of us, is at stake,” she continued.

Harris then turned to Barrett, who worked for the late Justice Antonin Scalia, a known conservative and critic of the Affordable Care Act. Concerns over her appointment include dismissal of the Roe v. Wade case protecting a woman’s right to an abortion.

“Judge Barrett has a long record of opposing abortion and reproductive rights,” Harris said. “There is no other issue that so disrespects and dishonors the work of Justice Ginsburg’s life than undoing the seminal decision in the court’s history that made it clear that a woman has a right to make decisions about her own body.”

The senator also said that Barrett could put the Voting Rights Act in uncertainty. Her impending confirmation to the Highest court gives more reason to vote on November 3rd, the senator said.

“[President Trump] knows he can’t win if the people vote,” Harris said. “[Republicans] want you to feel tired, they want you to feel like your fight doesn’t matter, but we will not give up and we will not give in.”

Harris gave her address at Shaw University in Raleigh, N.C., one of the oldest Black universities in the US.

Barrett’s confirmation hearings that will kick off on October 12 are expected to be a Senate battle between the GOP and the Democrats.

Democrats have criticized the Republican’s move to push a vote on Barrett’s nomination before the November election. Back in 2016, The GOP-dominated Senate blocked former President Barack Obama’s nomination of Merrick Garland nine months before the election, citing that the vacancy should be filled by the winning presidential candidate.

Source: The Hill