Roberts to administer judicial oath to Barrett Tuesday

Chief Justice John Roberts will administer the judicial oath to Amy Coney Barrett on Tuesday following her confirmation to the Supreme Court on Monday evening.

The Supreme Court announced that Roberts will give the judicial oath to Barrett in a private ceremony Tuesday after she was officially confirmed by the Senate in a 52-48 vote. 

“Upon administration of that oath, she will be able to begin to participate in the work of the Court,” the Supreme Court release states.

Barrett will be recognized in a formal ceremony at a special sitting of the Supreme Court “at a later date.” 

The judicial oath will follow the constitutional oath that Justice Clarence Thomas will administer Monday night to swear in Barrett as a justice. Thomas will swear-in Barrett at a ceremony at the White House, prompting questions from some about the safety of the event. 

Barrett’s confirmation solidifies the Supreme Court’s 6-3 conservative majority. She became the first justice in modern history to be confirmed without bipartisan support after no Democrats voted for her; only Sen. Susan Collins (R-Maine) crossed party lines to vote against her confirmation. 

The judicial oath ceremony will come a week before Election Day.

President Trump nominated Barrett to replace the late Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg about a week after her death last month. Senate Republicans pushed to get Barrett’s confirmation done before the election despite pushback from Democrats. 

Democrats called foul after GOP Senate leaders blocked then-President Obama’s nominee Merrick Garland’s confirmation hearings in 2016, nine months ahead of the election. Republicans have argued this circumstance is different because the GOP controls both the Senate and White House. 

The last time a Supreme Court vacancy was filled in an election year was 1916, and the latest election year confirmation before Barrett was in July.