2020 has led to many differences among the American people, but a majority of Americans agree on 2 things: Senators should confirm Judge Amy Coney Barrett to the U.S. Supreme Court and say "no" to court packing. The percentage of Americans who support Judge Barrett's confirmation has increased by nearly 15% since President Trump announced her nomination to the Court.
The latest poll was conducted October 16 through 18, with 1,994 registered voters from both the Democratic and Republican parties. The majority of them (51 percent) said the Senate should vote to confirm Barrett to the Supreme Court. This is a big increase from the 37 percent who backed her confirmation on September 26.
Voters want the U.S. Senate to confirm Amy Coney Barrett by a 23-point margin—51% to 28%—in new @MorningConsult poll.https://t.co/e7MXX5ngJV pic.twitter.com/9hX6OJdsiu
— John McCormack (@McCormackJohn) October 21, 2020
It certainly is hard to find fault with Judge Barrett after her stellar performance during last week's Senate Judiciary confirmation hearings.
.@dcexaminer: Judge Amy Coney Barrett did more than just prove that she belongs on the Supreme Court.
— House Republicans (@HouseGOP) October 21, 2020
She delivered one of the most effective performances ever for a nominee seeking the job.
#FillTheSeat
There has even been a significant increase in the number of Democrats who support Judge Barrett's confirmation.
The Morning Consult/Politico poll has measured voters' support for Barrett four times since September 26, when Trump officially nominated her to replace the late Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg. Thirty-two percent of Democratic voters in the most recent poll said they support Barrett's confirmation, an 18 percent increase since polling began.
Now to court packing. In response to Judge Barrett's nomination, some Democrats have threatened to expand the size of the Supreme Court, so that the Court may suit their ideological leanings better. Former Vice President Joe Biden continuously refuses to say whether he supports expanding the number of Justice on the Court or not.
However, recent polling suggests that the American people reject court packing:
Among likely voters, 58% said Democrats should not look to increase the size of the Supreme Court, according to the results of a poll conducted from Oct.15-18 by the New York Times and Siena College. Just 31% said they were in favor of court-packing, while 11% of responders were undecided.
While court packing may seem like a relatively new issue that started once Judge Barrett was nominated to the Supreme Court, Republicans were already warning of its dangers long before her nomination. Senator Rubio introduced an amendment to limit the number of Justices on the Supreme Court to 9 in 2019. He and the amendment's other Republican sponsors gave an update on it earlier today:
Senator Ted Cruz has also announced an anti-court packing proposal:
A group of Republican senators advanced two proposals Monday, including a Constitutional amendment, to prevent court packing, which Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, has portrayed as a near certainty if Democrats take power in November.
The first proposal would amend the U.S. Constitution by explicitly limiting the number of Supreme Court justices to nine. Another would create a point of order blocking legislation that expands the number of justices.
The Senate Judiciary Committee is expected to hold a vote on Judge Barrett's nomination on Thursday, and a confirmation vote by the whole Senate is scheduled for Monday.