GOP Senators Are Trying to Use RBG's Words to Justify Ramming Through Amy Coney Barrett's Nomination

Americans across the country tuned in on Monday to watch the first day of Judge Amy Coney Barrett's hearing before the Senate Judiciary Committee—a crucial step in confirming her nomination to the United States Supreme Court.

Barrett was nominated by President Donald Trump to replace the late Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg less than 72 hours after news broke of Ginsburg's death last month.

Republicans infamously refused to consider former President Barack Obama's nomination to fill the seat of the late Justice Antonin Scalia in early 2016 because Scalia had died during an election year.

In a complete reversal of their positions four years ago, nearly all Senate Republicans have emphasized their support for Barrett's nomination and their intent to confirm her, though voting has already begun and seven million Americans have already cast their ballots to decide the next President.

During the Judiciary Committee's opening statements on Monday, multiple Republicans attempted to use Ginsburg's words to defend their position.

Senate Judiciary Chairman Lindsey Graham was the first to invoke Ginsburg's legacy.

Graham said:

"The bottom line is that Justice Ginsburg, when asked about this several years ago, said that a President serves for four years, not three. There's nothing unconstitutional about this process."

In the moment to which Graham was referring, Ginsburg was addressing the standard Republicans themselves set in 2016 when they refused to consider Obama's nominee, Judge Merrick Garland, to the nation's highest court. Scalia died 269 days before the 2016 election, while Ginsburg died 46 days before the election.

Later, Senator Chuck Grassley (R-IA) used a line from Ginsburg's eulogy for Scalia to generate solemnity.

Grassley said:

"On March 1, 2020, Justice Ginsburg delivered a eulogy for her friend Justice Scalia. Justice Ginsburg said, 'We were different, yes, in our interpretation of written text. Yet one in our reverence for the courts, and its place in the U.S. System of governance.' The Senate is now tasked with carrying out perhaps its most solemn duty under the Constitution. As we go through this process, we should heed Justice Ginsburg's words with a shared reverence for the Court and its place in our Constitutional system."

People were astounded by the hypocrisy, especially from Graham.

But Republicans aren't the only ones invoking Ginsburg's own words in reaction to the Senate Judiciary hearings.

Throughout the day, Twitter users emphasized that, as her "most fervent" dying wish, Ginsburg implored that she not be replaced until a new President is installed.

The Senate Judiciary Committee will reconvene for the hearings on Tuesday.