From NPR

Amy Coney Barrett's Supreme Court Confirmation Hearing

By Brian Naylor

Published October 15, 2020 at 5:15 AM PDT

Supreme Court nominee Amy Coney Barrett arrives Wednesday for the third day of her confirmation hearing with the Senate Judiciary Committee.

Updated at 2:33 p.m. ET

The Senate Judiciary Committee held its fourth and final day of hearings on Thursday on President Trump's nomination of Amy Coney Barrett to the U.S. Supreme Court.

If confirmed, Barrett, 48, would replace the late Ruth Bader Ginsburg on the high court.

Barrett herself did not attend Thursday's hearing; the day was set aside for outside witnesses. The nominee faced hours of questioning over two days by the committee earlier this week. Read through the hearing highlights here.

Barrett's nomination has become a political lightning rod as Democrats charge that Republicans are rushing it to get Barrett confirmed before the Nov. 3 election. Democrats say the seat should be filled by the next president.

The coronavirus pandemic also played a part in the division over the hearings. Two GOP members of the panel, Sens. Mike Lee of Utah and Thom Tillis of North Carolina, tested positive for the virus but were later cleared by their doctors to participate in person.

Democrats, led by Sen. Patrick Leahy of Vermont, had demanded that the hearing be postponed "to ensure that we don't risk the health and safety of fellow senators, Senate staff, other Senate employees, as well as Judge Barrett and her family."

But committee chairman Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., vowed to press forward and tweeted, "Any Senator who wants to participate virtually will be allowed to do so."

All members who wish to vote on Barrett's nomination will have to be present, however, when it comes time. The committee is set to vote on Oct. 22, followed by a full Senate vote.

This post was originally published on Monday at 8 a.m. ET.