Senator Hassan Statement following Her Vote Against Judge Barrett’s Confirmation

WASHINGTON -- U.S. Senator Maggie Hassan (D-NH) issued the following statement after voting against confirming Amy Coney Barrett to the Supreme Court:

"Over the last month, instead of working across the aisle to pass an urgently needed, comprehensive COVID-19 response package, my Senate Republican colleagues rushed through a lifetime appointment to the Supreme Court. Instead of focusing on the needs of the American people, and rather than follow the rules that they themselves invented in 2016, the Senate Republicans confirmed a Justice eight days before Election Day during an election period when millions of Americans have already voted. And to find the answer as to why my colleagues would do this, one only has to look at the case the Court is scheduled to hear on November 10 — in which the Trump administration and Republican Attorneys General ask the Court to overturn the Affordable Care Act.

“But it is not just the process and the upside-down priorities of the Senate majority that informed my vote today. I also voted against Judge Barrett’s confirmation because her legal record and philosophy indicate that her service on the Court will likely put the health care and civil rights of countless Americans at risk. Judge Barrett espouses a philosophy that constrains individual liberties and further empowers corporations, putting the progress so many have fought for at risk. We need Justices who understand that our founders intended our country to grow and become more and more inclusive, and that we would become stronger as a result. Despite today’s disappointing vote, I will continue to fight for quality, affordable health care for all Americans and to protect and strengthen the civil rights to which all Americans are entitled.”

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