The Republican Senate confirmed Amy Coney Barrett to the United States Supreme Court on a polarized vote of 52-48. Barrett is the 115th justice and the fifth woman to be appointed to the Supreme Court.

The vote came eight days before the election with one Republican senator crossing party lines. Barrett is now President Donald Trump’s third appointment to the United States Supreme Court. The confirmation was also the first time in 151 years a justice was confirmed without a minority party vote.

Barrett will fill the seat of the late Ruth Bader Ginsburg, a recognized champion of gender rights.

Laura Emery is the vice president for Young Americans for Freedom and a senior in financial counseling and planning.

“I think it is great too that she is a woman because we lost Ruth Bader Ginsburg who was just this historic pioneer for women and she was just an idol for so many people,” Emery said. “I think it is really cool that it is another woman kind of following in the same footsteps, even though they probably disagree on everything politically, it is still cool to see a woman in such a high position of power.”

Barrett’s confirmation will solidify a conservative majority on the Supreme Court. Throughout the Senate trials, Democrats questioned Barrett’s stance on issues that could go before the court such as “Obamacare,” abortion and voting laws. Barrett made a point to refrain from answering any questions that could be politically charged.

“The confirmation has made it ever clear to me one of the fundamental differences of the Federal Judiciary and the United States Senate,” Barrett said in her confirmation speech. “And perhaps the most acute is the role of policy preferences. It is the job of a senator to pursue her policy preferences and perhaps it would be a dereliction of duty to put policy goals aside. By contrast, it is the job of a judge to resist her policy preferences, it would be a dereliction of duty for her to give into them.”

Emery said she appreciated Barrett’s performance under the pressure of the judiciary committee. As a pro-life conservative, Emery said she would love to see Roe v. Wade overturned but knows it is a ways down the line. 

Emery said she is super excited about the confirmation of Barrett happening before the election in case the results come down to the Supreme Court. During the 2000 presidential election between Al Gore and George W. Bush, Gore had won the popular vote yet lost the Electoral College vote. 

The courts ruled in favor of Bush after settling Florida recount disputes. Mack Shelley, chairman of the political science department, said it is a possible outcome for this election as well. 

“I don’t think there is anything out of range at this point,” Shelley said.

This confirmation drips hypocrisy when comparing it to the standards of the 2016 Supreme Court confirmation, Shelley said. 

The Senate moved fairly quickly with the judicial hearings resulting in the confirmation of Barrett taking place before the election. This contrasts the confirmation process that followed the death of Antonin Scalia.

Under the Obama administration, Senate Republicans stalled the nomination of Merrick Garland to fill Scalia’s seat until after the 2016 election. This resulted in the nomination of Justice Brett Kavanaugh under the Trump administration.

“When political parties have pretty much total domination, which the Republican party has pretty much since the 2018 election, they will just run things through consistently,” Shelley said. 

Emery said she was thankful the partisan divide did not result in hearings that resembled the Kavanaugh hearings.

“What we saw during those was just disgusting, what they did to that man, it was just unheard of and really uncalled for,” Emery said. “So I was really happy it didn’t go down to that level.”

As far as she is concerned, Emery said the confirmation is proof Trump has kept his word regarding appointments to not only the Supreme Court but the inferior courts as well.

“I think it definitely goes into his whole idea of promises made, promises kept,” Emery said.