With just eight days until Election Day, Amy Coney Barrett (opens in new tab) was officially elected to the Supreme Court to succeed Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg (opens in new tab). The vote in the Senate (opens in new tab) was 52-48 on the evening of October 26. Connie Barrett was sworn in by Associate Justice Clarence Thomas at 9 p.m. tonight at the White House. Chief Justice John Roberts will be sworn in tomorrow, October 27, in a closed-door swearing-in ceremony (opens in new tab) in the Supreme Court's East Chamber.

Since President Donald Trump nominated Judge Connie Barrett (opens in new tab) just a month ago, people across the country have been following her work on the 7th Circuit Court of Appeals on topics such as abortion (opens in new tab), LGBTQ+ rights, gun safety views on topics such as abortion (opens in new tab), LGBTQ+ rights, and gun safety, as well as his commitment to the judicial philosophy of originalism (opens in new tab). Former Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia, a mentor to Justice Barrett, and the Supreme Court Justice for whom she clerked, interpreted the Constitution this way during her tenure on the Supreme Court. Both Democratic politicians and voters questioned Judge Barrett's inexperience (opens in new tab) and called the rushed approval process a "sham." (opens in new tab) Senate Republicans supported the procedure.

In the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic, the Affordable Care Act (ACA), which threatens to take away coverage for millions of Americans with pre-existing conditions, is set to be one of the first cases (opens in new tab) the Supreme Court will hear with the appointment of Justice Barrett, and many people are fearful, angry, and anxious about what could happen with what will be a conservative-majority court. Twitter reactions to Connie Barrett's appointment as an associate justice include.