Amy Coney Barrett was officially sworn in as a Supreme Court justice on Monday, just over a week before Election Day, officially creating a 6-3 conservative majority on the court that will be in place long after the results of the 2020 election are decided.
The mood may have been light at Barrett’s confirmation ceremony at the White House (where, at least, face coverings were required), but many of those watching the proceedings were overwhelmed by the significance that Barrett’s appointment could hold for—among other issues—reproductive rights:
While some encouraged everyone to rush out and stock up on Plan B in the event of reproductive health access rollbacks, others noted the impracticality of hoarding contraception (and thus making it harder to access for people who need it now):
Barrett’s relative lack of experience as a judge drew ire, with many noting the difficulty that a non-white woman would likely have ascending to the Supreme Court with a similar resume:
Others noted the speed with which Senate Republicans were able to install a conservative justice on the Supreme Court, especially relative to the time it has taken them to pass any measure of meaningful COVID-19 relief:
Many came together on Twitter to mourn the painful irony of Ruth Bader Ginsburg’s seat on the Supreme Court being filled by Barrett, whose politics differ from Ginsburg’s in almost every relevant way: