Ahead of President Donald Trump's expected Supreme Court nomination, 7th Circuit Court of Appeals Judge Amy Coney Barrett is traveling from her home in Indiana to Washington D.C.
Bloomberg reported that Barrett was set to travel by plane from her home on Saturday. Late in the day, Trump is anticipated to announce at the White House that Barrett is his choice to fill the Supreme Court vacancy created after Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg's death.
According to The Wall Street Journal, a multi-million dollar Gulfstream business jet was sent to Barrett's home state on Saturday, with the purpose of transporting her to the event.
CNN reporter Annie Grayer also tweeted that the judge was seen leaving her home with her husband and children.
Amy Coney Barrett, her husband, and some of her children just left their home in South Bend dressed in fancy attire.
— Annie Grayer (@AnnieGrayerCNN) September 26, 2020
Barrett has been widely touted as the president's potential choice. As previously reported, bookmakers have Barrett as the most likely candidate to take the spot, inching out 11th Circuit Court of Appeals Judge Barbara Lagoa, who was another potential nominee for the vacancy.
Trump has not confirmed that he will nominate the 48-year-old judge, but he has complimented her to reporters. "I haven't said it was her, but she is outstanding," he told reporters on Friday according to the WSJ.
Following the nominee announcement at the White House, Trump is expected to go to a rally in Pennsylvania.
Newsweek reached out to the White House for comment, but did not receive an on-the-record statement in time for publication.
While Trump is expected to nominate Barrett, Senate Democrats are also likely to fight the decision, as Republicans are anticipated to try to rush the appointment prior to the November presidential election. If Barrett is appointed, she will be Trump's third Supreme Court justice during his first term. Trump's past two nominees were Neil Gorsuch and Brett Kavanaugh, both of whom were later confirmed.
Democrats have criticized Republicans attempting to fill the seat quickly before the election. In March 2016, then-President Barack Obama nominated Merrick Garland following Antonin Scalia's death, but Senate Republicans, led by Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, refused a vote, arguing that the American people should have a say in filling the vacancy since it was an election year. In a Friday interview, Democratic Florida Congresswoman Val Deming called for Republicans to honor the precedent they set in 2016.
The Wall Street Journal reported that if Barrett is nominated, Judiciary Committee hearings could start as early as the week of October 10 and a Senate vote could follow by October 26.
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Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.
