Kathmandu. Donald Trump was successful in irking his opponents when he nominated Amy Coney Barrett for the chair in the Supreme Court left vacant since Ruth Bader Ginsburg’s death. The decision came just days before the US Presidential elections were scheduled.

Now even as two Republicans, who serve as justices in the Supreme Court, have been tested Covid-19 positive, Mitch McConnell has stated that the confirmation hearings for Barrett will move ahead unhindered. This news comes alongside a separate decision of putting the Senate’s work on hold as three GOP Senators and the President have been infected, citing the threat posed by the pandemic.

While Barrett has tested negative for Covid-19, the insistence to continue the hearings has yet again unsettled many democrats. The consternation underlies the concern that with a conservative majority in the Supreme Court, crucial decisions regarding sensitive matters will have an immense impact on the every day life of the American people. A major indication of the changes that could be brought to the fore has been realized when it was revealed that Barrett had voted on a 2006 advertisement in an Indiana newspaper, calling for overturning legalized abortion.

McConnell commented that, “The Senate’s floor schedule will not interrupt the thorough, fair and historically supported confirmation process”, adding that, “Certainly, all Republican members of the committee will participate in these important hearings.”

Several responses from the Democrats hinted towards the situation, stating that if the situation was indeed perilous, perhaps Barrett’s hearings could wait as well. Democratic Senator Dick Durbin observing Trump’s nomination and the Republicans firmly backing the speedy hearing claimed that, “He wants that 9th person to be his nominee. That’s what we face.”

The conflict is apparent between the two parties. With a continuous push coming from the Republicans to proceed with the confirmation hearings, it would be a historical moment in US history if such a decision does come to pass in the midst of the candidates campaigning for the votes.