The Hashtag
#AmyConeyBarrett marked the rushed Supreme Court confirmation that locked in a 6-3 conservative majority weeks before the 2020 election, crystallizing court politics.
Origins
On September 18, 2020, Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg died. Just 46 days before the election, Trump nominated Amy Coney Barrett, a 48-year-old conservative appellate judge and originalist disciple of Antonin Scalia.
The hypocrisy was stark: in 2016, McConnell blocked Garland 293 days before the election. In 2020, he confirmed Barrett with voting already underway. His justification: “because we can.”
The Senate confirmed her 52-48 on October 26, 2020—eight days before Election Day.
Cultural Impact
The confirmation battle centered on:
- Abortion rights (Barrett’s Roe skepticism was clear)
- Healthcare (Obamacare case scheduled for November)
- Religion (Barrett’s Catholic faith and Charismatic Christianity ties)
- Her large family (7 children, 2 adopted from Haiti)
- Handmaid’s Tale comparisons (People of Praise religious group)
Democrats boycotted the Judiciary Committee vote. The hashtag represented:
- The end of Supreme Court norms
- Fear of Roe v. Wade reversal (realized in June 2022 with Dobbs decision)
- Court-packing debates (expanding the Court to rebalance)
- Motivating issue for 2020 turnout on both sides
By 2022, Barrett joined the 5-4 majority overturning Roe, validating every fear Democrats had expressed.