Senators are preparing to work through the night Sunday to wind down debate on Amy Coney Barrett's Supreme Court confirmation, reports The Hill.
Lawmakers have 30 hours to debate President Donald Trump's court appointee, meaning the full Senate will be able to hold a confirmation vote Monday beginning at 7:26 p.m. ET.
"Judge Amy Coney Barrett of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit is a stellar nominee in every single respect," Senate Majority Leader McConnell said on the Senate floor following the vote. "Her intellectual brilliance is unquestioned. Her command of the law is remarkable. Her integrity is above reproach."
GOP Sens. Susan Collins of Maine and Lisa Murkowski of Alaska both voted against ending debate. Murkowski, however, has indicated she will vote to confirm Barrett after initially saying she did not believe the Senate should be taking up a Supreme Court nomination this close to the election.
"I believe that the only way to put us back on the path of appropriate consideration of judicial nominees, is to evaluate Judge Barrett as we would want to be judged -- on the merits of her qualifications. And we do that when that final question comes before us. And when it does, I will be a yes," Murkowski said on the Senate floor Saturday.
At the start of Trump's presidency, McConnell engineered a Senate rules change to allow confirmation by a majority of the 100 senators, rather than the 60-vote threshold traditionally needed to advance high court nominees over objections. With a 53-47 GOP majority, Barrett's confirmation is almost certain.