Senate set to confirm Barrett, in a vote, nominating process with no support from Democrats

The Senate is set to confirm Judge Amy Coney Barrett to the Supreme Court Monday, with no Democrats expected to vote yes, while a lone GOP senator, Maine's Susan Collins, says she will break with her party to vote against the confirmation.

Republicans control 53 of the 100 Senate seats and will need 51 votes (or 50 in case of a tie) to confirm President Trump's nominee to the high court.

The GOP fortified its vote for the 48-year-old Barrett this weekend when Alaska Republican Sen. Lisa Murkowski said she would support the nomination — giving her party a likely 52-vote majority. 

Senators in a weekend session devoted much of their time to giving speeches on the upper chamber's floor, with Democrats continuing to argue that Barrett's appointment will result in the high court reversing earlier decisions on such issues as abortion, gay marriage and the Affordable Care Act.

Democratic leaders are asking Vice President Mike Pence not to preside over Monday's proceeding, after several aides recently tested positive for COVID-19, according to the Associated Press.

Barrett, if confirmed as expected, will have passed her Senate vetting process with remarkable speed. She was officially nominated by Trump on Sept. 26 — just eight days after the death of Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg. 

Democrats and others objected to Republicans filling an empty high-court seat in the final weeks of the election, despite the party having the constitutional authority. Her appointment would result in a 6-3 conservative majority.

The Senate Judiciary Committee last week advanced the Barrett nomination to the floor on a 12-0 vote, with all 12 Republican members voting yes while all of the panel's 10 Democrats boycotted the vote.