Recap of Day One: Amy Coney Barrett Confirmation Hearings

Democrats are seeking to make Supreme Court nominee Amy Coney Barrett’s confirmation hearing about the Affordable Care Act, but in her first day answering questions, she had a pretty simple answer.

While she has criticized Chief Justice John Roberts’ 5-4 ruling in the original Obamacare case in 2012, the case coming before the high court next month involves a completely different issue, she said.

In 2012, the court was asked to decide if the entire law was unconstitutional. This time, it’s about whether a tax penalty that Congress eliminated in...

Supreme Court nominee Amy Coney Barrett presented herself to the nation Monday as a humble and apolitical judge, opening a pandemic-altered Senate confirmation hearing that Democrats tried to make as much about health care, covid-19 and President Trump as about Barrett’s qualifications.

It was the start of what will be an acrimonious four days, as Republicans embark just weeks before Election Day on a historic move to lock in a long-sought 6-to-3 conservative majority on the Supreme Court and perhaps boost Trump’s and their own reelection prospects.

Democrats acknowledged there...