President Donald Trump nominated Judge Amy Coney Barrett to the Supreme Court on Saturday, capping a dramatic reshaping of the federal judiciary that will resonate for a generation and that he hopes will provide a needed boost to his reelection effort.
Barrett is considered an ideological heir to the late conservative Justice Antonin Scalia. Barrett would fill the seat vacated after the Sept. 18 death of liberal icon Ruth Bader Ginsberg, in what would be the sharpest ideological swing since Clarence Thomas replaced Justice Thurgood Marshall nearly three decades ago.
Here's a quick sketch of Barrett's background:
- A judge on the 7th Circuit Court of Appeals nominated by President Donald Trump in 2017 and considered once before by Trump for a high court seat; her three-year judicial record shows a clear and consistent conservative bent.
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- A graduate of the University of Notre Dame Law School and Rhodes College who has taught law at Notre Dame, worked for a Washington law firm and clerked for Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia.
- A Catholic mother of seven and Louisiana native born in 1972, she would be the youngest justice on the current court if confirmed.
Her short tenure as a judge has led to few noteworthy or controversial opinions. She has, however, signed onto several decisions that are sure to be questioned in a possible confirmation fight.
Later Saturday, the Senate announced confirmation hearings would begin Oct. 12. It is up to the Senate Judiciary Committee to vet the nominee and hold confirmation hearings. The FBI also conducts a background check.
Once the committee approves the nomination, it goes to the Senate floor for a final vote.
Republican senators are already lining up for a swift confirmation of Barrett ahead of the Nov. 3 election, as they aim to lock in conservative gains in the federal judiciary before a potential transition of power.
Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden called for the Senate not to act until after the presidential election. But in a lengthy written statement Saturday, Biden’s only explicit criticism of President Donald Trump’s nominee turned on health care.
Trump, meanwhile, is hoping the nomination will serve to galvanize his supporters as he looks to fend off Democrat Joe Biden.
Who are the other justices? Here's the rundown
The 8 other justices of the US Supreme Court
Chief Justice John Roberts
Chief Justice John Roberts
Nominated to serve as chief justice by President George W. Bush
Took seat Sept. 29, 2005
Born Jan. 27, 1955, in Buffalo, N.Y.
Justice Clarence Thomas
Associate Justice Clarence Thomas
Nominated to serve as associate justice by President George H.W. Bush
Took seat Oct. 23, 1991
Born June 23, 1948, near Savannah, Georgia
Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson
Associate Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson
Nominated to serve as associate justice by President Joe Biden
Took seat June 30, 2022
Born September 14, 1970
Justice Samuel Alito
Associate Justice Samuel Alito
Nominated to serve as associate justice by President George W. Bush
Took seat Jan. 31, 2006
Born April 1, 1950, in Trenton, New Jersey
Justice Sonia Sotomayor
Associate Justice Sonia Sotomayor
Nominated to serve as associate justice by President Barack Obama
Took seat Aug. 8, 2009
Born June 25, 1954, in Bronx, New York
Justice Elena Kagan
Associate Justice Elena Kagan
Nominated to serve as associate justice by President Barack Obama
Took seat Aug. 7, 2010
Born April 28, 1960, in New York City
Justice Neil Gorsuch
Associate Justice Neil Gorsuch
Nominated to serve as associate justice by President Donald Trump
Took seat April 10, 2017
Born Aug. 29, 1967, in Denver, Colorado
Justice Brett Kavanaugh
Associate Justice Brett Kavanaugh
Nominated to serve as associate justice by President Donald Trump
Took seat Oct. 6, 2018
Born Feb. 12, 1965, in Washington D.C.
Today's Supreme Court
In this Nov. 30, 2018, file photo, the justices of the U.S. Supreme Court gather for a formal group portrait to include a new Associate Justice, top row, far right, at the Supreme Court Building in Washington. Seated from left: Associate Justice Stephen Breyer, Associate Justice Clarence Thomas, Chief Justice of the United States John G. Roberts, Associate Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg and Associate Justice Samuel Alito Jr. Standing behind from left: Associate Justice Neil Gorsuch, Associate Justice Sonia Sotomayor, Associate Justice Elena Kagan and Associate Justice Brett M. Kavanaugh.
Finally, a look back at Ruth Bader Ginsburg, whose death led to Barrett's appointment
A look at Ruth Bader Ginsburg's career, in photos
Judge Ruth Bader Ginsburg addresses reporters in the Rose Garden of the White House on Monday, June 14, 1993 in Washington after President Bill Clinton said he would nominate the judge for the Supreme Court. A three-month search ended Monday and the President picked Ginsburg, 60, a federal appeals judge. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite)
Sen. Strom Thurmond, R-S.C., a member of the Senate Judiciary Committee, holds a copy of the U.S. Constitution while meeting with Judge Ruth Bader Ginsburg, President Bill Clinton choice for the vacancy on the Supreme Court, on Wednesday, June 16, 1993. They met in Thurmond's Capitol Hill office in Washington. (AP Photo/John Duricka)
Sen. Joseph Biden, D-Del., chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee, talks to Supreme Court nominee Judge Ruth Bader Ginsburg prior to the start of her confirmation hearing before the committee on Capitol Hill on Tuesday, July 20, 1993 in Washington. (AP Photo/John Duricka)
FILE - In this Aug. 10, 1993, file photo, Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg takes the court oath from Chief Justice William Rehnquist, right, during a ceremony in the East Room of the White House in Washington. Ginsburg's husband Martin holds the Bible and President Bill Clinton looks on at left. The cookbook “Chef Supreme” published in Dec. 2011 and contains nearly 50 of the late Martin Ginsburg’s recipes. (AP Photo/Marcy Nighswander, File)
As President Bill Clinton looks on, Chief Justice William Rehnquist helps the Supreme Court's newest member Ruth Bader Ginsburg sign the court's oath card, on Friday, Oct. 1, 1993 at the court in Washington. (AP Photo/ Pool/ Ken Heinen)
U.S. Supreme Court Justices Anthony M. Kennedy, Ruth Bader Ginsburg, and Stephen Breyer, right enter stage center as they play the roles of themselves in the Washington Opera's production of Die Fledermaus at Independence Hall in Washington, Saturday, Sept. 6, 2003. Despite their limited performing arts resumes, the three made rare special appearances, with non-singing roles, in the opera. (AP Photo/Gerald Herbert)
Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg, right, shares laugh with her husband Martin as they listen to Justice Stephen Breyer speak at Columbia Law School Friday, Sept. 12, 2003. The occassion celebrated the 10th anniversary of her appointment to the Supreme Court of the United States. (AP Photo/Ed Bailey)
Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg speaks to students at New England Law School in Boston Friday, March 13, 2009. Ginsburg said advice and camaraderie from her fellow justices have helped her in her fight against pancreatic cancer. The 75-year-old had surgery last month to remove a small malignant tumor but returned to the bench without missing a day of work. (AP Photo/Elise Amendola)
Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg is photographed in her chambers in Washington, Tuesday, Aug. 3, 2010. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon)
The Honorable Ruth Bader Ginsburg is seen on stage at the Women's Conference Tuesday, Oct. 26, 2010, in Long Beach, Calif., (AP Photo/Matt Sayles)
Award recipient Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg appears onstage at the Glamour Women of the Year Awards on Monday, Nov. 12, 2012 in New York. (Photo by Charles Sykes/Invision/AP)
Associate Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg poses for a photo in her chambers at the Supreme Court in Washington, Wednesday, July 24, 2013, before an interview with the Associated Press. Ginsburg said during the interview that it was easy to foresee that Southern states would push ahead with tougher voter identification laws and other measures once the Supreme Court freed them from strict federal oversight of their elections. (AP Photo/Charles Dharapak)
President Barack Obama greets Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg before giving his State of the Union address on Capitol Hill in Washington, Tuesday Jan. 28, 2014. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite)
Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg attends the 2015 Kennedy Center Honors in Washington, as the President and first lady arrive, Sunday, Dec. 6, 2015. (AP Photo/Jacquelyn Martin)
Supreme Court Justices, from left, Elena Kagan, Samuel Anthony Alito, Jr., Ruth Bader Ginsburg, and Anthony Kennedy participate in prayers at a private ceremony in the Great Hall of the Supreme Court in Washington, Friday, Feb. 19, 2016, where late Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia lies in repose. (AP Photo/Jacquelyn Martin, Pool)
U.S. Supreme Court Justice, Ruth Bader Ginsburg, is introduced during the keynote address for the State Bar of New Mexico's Annual Meeting held in Pojoaque, N.M., Friday, Aug. 19, 2016. (AP Photo/Craig Fritz)
FILE - In this Feb. 6, 2017 file photo, Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg speaks at Stanford University in Stanford, Calif. Ginsburg is praising the media at a time when the Trump administration has accused reporters of being dishonest and delivering “fake news.” (AP Photo/Marcio Jose Sanchez, File)
The justices of the U.S. Supreme Court gather for an official group portrait to include new Associate Justice Neil Gorsuch, top row, far right, Thursday. June 1, 2017, at the Supreme Court Building in Washington. Seated, front row, from left are, Associate Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg, Associate Justice Anthony M. Kennedy, Chief Justice of the United States John Roberts, Associate Justice Clarence Thomas, and Associate Justice Stephen Breyer. Back row, standing, from left are, Associate Justice Elena Kagan, Associate Justice Samuel Alito Jr., Associate Justice Sonia Sotomayor, and Associate Justice Neil Gorsuch. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite)
In this Sept. 20, 2017, file photo, U.S. Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg reacts to applause as she is introduced by William Treanor, Dean and Executive Vice President of Georgetown University Law Center, at the Georgetown University Law Center campus in Washington. In different circumstances, Ginsburg might be on a valedictory tour in her final months on the Supreme Court. But in the era of Donald Trump, the 84-year-old Ginsburg is packing her schedule and sending signals she intends to keep her seat on the bench for years.(AP Photo/Carolyn Kaster, File)
Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg applauds after a performance in her honor after she spoke about her life and work during a discussion at Georgetown Law School in Washington on Friday, April 6, 2018. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon)
US Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg speaks after the screening of "RBG," the documentary about her, in Jerusalem, Thursday, July 5, 2018. Ginsburg says she hopes the traditional "bipartisan spirit" of congressional hearings for judges will once again prevail rather than recent votes that have divided along party lines. (AP Photo/Caron Creighton)
Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg leaves the stage after speaking to first-year students at Georgetown Law, Wednesday, Sept. 26, 2018, in Washington. (AP Photo/Jacquelyn Martin)
