Today, Senator Susan Collins’ Republican colleagues on the Senate Judiciary Committee voted to advance Amy Coney Barrett’s nomination to serve in a lifetime position on the Supreme Court. In the last few weeks, Collins has been playing coy about whether she’d vote to confirm Barrett under different procedural circumstances and claiming that she’s “still learning more about her record.” But back in 2017, Collins evaluated Barrett’s record and found her qualified to serve in a lifetime seat in the federal judiciary.
Senator Collins ignored the concerns of advocates for women’s rights and LGBTQ+ equality to confirm Barrett despite the fact that she had already attacked the Supreme Court decision to uphold the Affordable Care Act, said that abortion is "always immoral," and signed on to a letter opposing marriage equality for LGBTQ+ Americans. Since her confirmation, Barrett has already ruled twice in favor of restrictions on abortion — now she’s poised to take a seat on the highest court in the land where just one week after Election Day she would hear a case to strike down the Affordable Care Act in its entirety.
“Senator Collins is trying to play both sides and is refusing to answer questions about Amy Coney Barrett’s qualifications, but she already voted to confirm Barrett to a lifetime seat on the federal bench,” said Maine Democratic Party Executive Director Lisa Roberts. “When Collins supported Barrett’s nomination to the Seventh Circuit, she helped put her in position to be elevated all the way to the Supreme Court — and now Mainers’ health care and rights are at risk.”
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