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Today is the second day of confirmation hearings for Amy Coney Barrett to take Ruth Bader Ginsburg’s seat on the Supreme Court. With only 21 days until the election, Republicans are fast-tracking her confirmation in a last-ditch effort to pack the court and potentially rule on the results of the election with a conservative majority. And given their majority in the Senate, there seems to be no stopping Coney Barrett’s confirmation.

Coney Barrett knows this, which may be why she brought zero notes, records, or receipts to the multi-day hearing. Today, when prompted by Texas Senator John Cornyn, she revealed a little blank notepad with nothing on it. “That’s impressive,” Cornyn responded, before moving on.

VIRAL MOMENT: Amy Coney Barrett reveals she has no notes at hearing.

Sen. John Cornyn: “Can you hold up what you’ve been referring to in answering our questions? Is there anything on it.”

Barrett: “A letterhead that says United States Senate.”

Cornyn: “That’s impressive.” pic.twitter.com/QOybcZrUiE

— The Hill (@thehill) October 13, 2020

This has led to a chorus of Republicans praising Coney Barrett for her keen legal mind. “She doesn’t need notes! It’s all in her head!”, they cry as if Coney Barrett’s complete lack of preparation is something to celebrate. But it’s not. As ACB continues to offer non-answers and political doublespeak to the senators’ questions, she isn’t saying much of anything at all. Nobody needs notes to rattle off disingenuous platitudes about the law.

This was when Barrett was asked to show what notes she had brought to hearing. Senators are sitting in front of thick binders of research as they question her https://t.co/WhT6xLFcEn

— Mollie (@MZHemingway) October 13, 2020

But much like the president who nominated her, ACB can’t be bothered to prepare. It’s a sign of an oversized ego, of the knowledge that she already has the votes to be confirmed. And she has zero interest in defending her record, because she knows it doesn’t matter. It’s smarm masquerading as knowledge, and zealotry in the face of scrutiny. But Coney Barrett has already shown she’s not taking the process seriously with her omission of important documents to the senate committee.

Democrats on the Senate Judiciary Committee sent a letter to the Department of Justice to request withheld materials from Coney Barrett, which include two lectures given to anti-abortion students groups at Notre Dame. The Democrats’ letter read, “First, Judge Barrett’s SJQ supplement includes two 2013 talks — a lecture and a seminar — about the Supreme Court’s cases on women’s reproductive rights, … Both talks, which were also omitted from Judge Barrett’s 2017 SJQ and attachments, were made public in press reports early yesterday. It is troubling that Judge Barrett supplemented her SJQ to include these talks only after they were identified by the press.”

It feels absurd to type this, but it must be said: America deserves a Supreme Court justice who does the work, who prepares, who gathers evidence, and who doesn’t omit problematic speeches and positions. Her smug lack of preparation is insulting to everyone watching these hearings. If confirmed, she’ll be making decisions that affect millions of Americans. That should be more than enough reason for her to do her homework.

It’s also a searing indictment of these hearings and her nomination. Amy Coney Barrett isn’t making a case for herself because she thinks she’s already won. Many took to social media to call out her concerning lack of notes:

Amy Coney Barrett: I can say literally nothing about how I’ll decide cases.

Sen. Cornyn: wow and you gave that answer with no notes?

ACB: Yes.

Cornyn: Holy shit.

— Johnny “The Crypt Renter” McNulty (@JohnnyMcNulty) October 13, 2020

Amy Coney Barrett wants to be the replacement for Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg, and I’m supposed to be impressed she didn’t bring notes to the hearing?

That’s not impressive. That’s concerning.

— Charlotte Clymer 🏳️‍🌈 (@cmclymer) October 13, 2020

Amy Coney Barrett is going to vote to dismantle health care — and she won’t even need NOTES.

— Matt Fuller (@MEPFuller) October 13, 2020

It’s not difficult to be “confident in how you’re going to express yourself” if you plan on… not expressing yourself.

Stop applauding Amy Coney Barrett for having zero notes in front of her during this hearing. She doesn’t need any. She’s not saying anything. #SCOTUShearings

— Danielle Campoamor (@DCampoamor) October 13, 2020

WATCH: Senator @amyklobuchar just asked Judge Barrett whether it’s illegal under federal law to intimidate voters at the polls.

Barrett refused to answer. Then Klobuchar read her the law. Astonishing. pic.twitter.com/cxoIaXTP9e

— Vanita Gupta (@vanitaguptaCR) October 13, 2020

Maybe this is why 88 of her colleagues at Notre Dame called for her to step aside. I doubt she’ll listen.

(featured image: screencap/MSNBC)

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Day two of the Senate Judiciary Committee’s confirmation hearings for Amy Coney Barrett’s nomination to the Supreme Court has come to an end and it was just as harrowing as Day 1.

There were a lot of big moments out of Tuesday’s hearing. For example:

.@maziehirono letting Coney Barrett have it over her very deliberate use of the term “sexual preference” rather than “sexual orientation,” tying it to Scalia’s similar usage and the way he voted on cases like Obergfell. pic.twitter.com/YN4BX19jGe

— Joy JUST VOTE & MASK UP!! Reid 😷) (@JoyAnnReid) October 13, 2020

But a major contender for the worst part of the day was every moment Ted Cruz was speaking–especially the one in which he chose to refer to birth control as “abortion-inducing drugs.”

ted cruz just called birth control, “abortion inducing drugs” so yeah they are coming for your birth control and your IVF.

— Caroline Reilly (@ms_creilly) October 13, 2020

This isn’t new, by the way. Cruz has been using this term for at least half a decade.

5 years later and Ted Cruz hasn’t learned. Again, he incorrectly referred to birth control as “abortion inducing drugs”

But the facts remain: Birth control can’t cause an abortion. But both abortion and birth control ARE health care. https://t.co/cK36LP2ade

— Planned Parenthood Action – Text VOTE to 22422 (@PPact) October 13, 2020

During his questioning, Cruz brought up the Little Sisters of the Poor, a group of Catholic nuns who went to court with the Obama administration over the Affordable Care Act’s mandate that employers pay for their employees’ birth control.

Here’s what Cruz said today about “religious liberty”:

The Little Sisters of the Poor are a Catholic convent of nuns who take oaths of poverty, who devote their lives to caring for the sick, caring for the needy, caring for the elderly. The Obama administration litigated against the Little Sisters of the Poor, seeking to fine them in order to force them to pay for abortion-inducing drugs among others. Truly a stunning situation when you have the federal government litigating against nuns.

I don’t know, personally, I was really glad to know that the federal government wasn’t going to let nuns discriminate their employees. I miss those days.

Also, by the way, the Obama administration tried to give the nuns an out. As The Atlantic wrote back in 2015:

A three-member panel of judges ruled that the Obama administration has come up with a sufficient accommodation for religious organizations like the Little Sisters: If they object to providing insurance coverage to employees who want to buy birth control, organizations can sign a two-page form stating that objection. That’s it—from there, the administration will arrange for a third-party provider to make sure the employee can get coverage. But the Little Sisters, along with schools like Notre Dame and other religious organizations, claimed that signing that piece of paper was the moral equivalent of condoning birth control.

And obviously, the biggest red flag in Cruz’s depiction of this case is that contraception isn’t “abortion-inducing.” Even if Cruz was referring to Plan B, which some are speculating he is, that drug prevents fertilization or stops a fertilized egg from attaching to the womb. Neither of those things have anything to do with abortion.

But this kind of gross misinformation is to be expected from Cruz, who has made it clear that he thinks condoms should be the only acceptable form of birth control. He once “joked” that there is no conservative war on women or on contraception because “Last I checked, we don’t have a rubber shortage in America.” Classy.

Senate Republicans, Cruz included, have claimed that Democrats are opposed to Barrett’s confirmation because of her faith. That’s simply not true. There are already five Catholics on the Supreme Court so to oppose Barrett on those grounds would be strange. But Barrett has made comments in the past about using her Catholicism to guide her judicial decisions, which is incredibly worrying. And when lawmakers like Cruz make it clear that they want our laws to be shaped by those religious beliefs (which is very different from protecting religious beliefs), we should absolutely express some concern over that!

(image: Patrick Semansky-Pool/Getty Images)
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Emily’s pitch on the champagne came in clutch when she sent the champagne to her favorite bar in Chicago. The patron’s celebrated the Cubs’ win by spraying the champagne. Team Savoir will be meeting Camille’s family at a gallery event tonight. Sylvie is avoiding Antoine even though there is campaign that needs work, and Emily is wanted by one Judith Robertson (Faith Prince) from the American Friends of the Louvre aka AFL. Julien is always on point with his suits. Judith requests assistance in getting Pierre to donate a clothing item at an auction she’s holding. Let’s see if Emily can spin this to a marketable event for Pierre. 

Mathieu is available to discuss business tonight and invites himself to the gallery showing. Camille finally meets Luc and Sylvie who is joined by Mathieu. Did anyone else notice Gabriel’s eyes on Mathieu’s hands that were on Emily’s hip? Boy needs to choose a team already. Luc points out how a painting is sexual but it is lost on sweet, innocent Emily. Luc is always talking about sex, though. Once Sylvie whisks Mathieu away, Camille points out the way the man is looking at Emily, how successful he is, and he is heir to Pierre Cadault. Gabriel scoffs at Camille’s insistence that Emily date Mathieu just because he is rich and famous. Their bickering over money is annoying and repetitive. Mathieu saves Emily by suggesting they go for dinner. Aww, Gabriel is upset. 

While out with Emily, Mathieu discusses pancakes, fashion week, and growing up with Pierre. She’s able to get a donation for AFL and is surprised with a sweet kiss on the hand. Ah, a gentleman. The next day, bitter Sylvie points out that she saw Mathieu leaving with Emily, which is against corporate commandments. Emily insists that it was all business, but the girl was checking the man out on the internet just moments before. Antoine sends Sylvie a gift, but Sylvie tells Julien to return it. Emily refuses to open it but Luc does, to find beautiful nipple rings in the box. 

Auction night is invaded by Grey Space (Isaiah Hodges and Christophe Tek), a streetwear duo design team from America. Emily tries to get them as clients but no dice on that one. AFL loses their billionaire model for the dress by Pierre Cadault, Mathieu overhears and suggests that Emily model it. She is a sight in the piece, which is bought by none other than Grey Space. That’s suspect. The boys spray her while she is on stage. It was all a publicity stunt. Terrible. 

Everyone is concerned for Emily; even Gabriel pops up after seeing it in the newspaper. Sylvie is highly unimpressed despite the new followers. Grey Space has the dress up on showcase already, which prompts Emily to see the duo at their shop. They claim it all to be performance art and are fans of Pierre’s work; so obviously Emily wants them to prove it. Pierre is crushing crème brûlée when Emily comes by. He is sad that his clothing is loved by dying old women. However, Emily has a hoodie from Grey Space with Pierre’s name on it. The collaboration can bring more attention to Pierre’s brand. He refuses to have his name on something so ringarde. Mathieu awaits to hear how his uncle took it, but Pierre is at his darkest hour. He tells Emily that at the darkest hour, the French make love, then kisses Emily. She claims not to be that French; he says just wait. Okay daddy. 

Emily has more love affairs in a short few months than I do in a year. Now, I’m with Camille when it comes to Mathieu. He is single and a fashion heir. So much easier to be with him. With only one episode left, I do wonder what type of ending we will be getting: French or American?

A lot of states are coming up against their voter registration deadlines right now, so it’s a great time to remind everyone that if your state’s deadline hasn’t yet passed, make sure to register to vote. It’s also a great time for a reminder that voter registration is a form of voter suppression, and that’s by design.

Voter registration didn’t exist until the early 19th Century, when some states, mostly in New England, wanted to find ways to keep their growing immigrant populations from voting. Early official voter registration programs tended to be limited to states’ urban, Democrat districts like Philadelphia. Assessors travelled door to door to register voters, and they did so during work hours when poor people and POC, who are more likely to vote Democrat, were less likely to be at home.

This laid the groundwork for the literacy tests, poll taxes, housing requirements and other voter registration restrictions of Jim Crow. And after the Voting Rights Act of 1965 was passed, outlawing those discriminatory practices, voter registration among Black voters in southern states shot up but that was not the end of the disenfranchisement caused by voter registration, which still, even now, wildly disproportionately affects poor people and BIPOC.

Over the years, we’ve come to think of voter registration as a natural part of the voting process even though in many states, like Texas, it was created as a direct response to the abolishment of other, more overt suppression tactics like poll taxes. We’re told that voter registration–like voter ID laws and other practices meant to restrict access to voting–are necessary to keep voter fraud out of our elections.

In reality, these restrictive policies are addressing problems that don’t really exist–at least not on any scale deserving of this kind of institutional response. In 2016, Last Week Tonight did a great deep dive into how disenfranchising voter ID laws are. Here’s what he said then about individual voter fraud:

While American history is littered with vote-buying, vote tampering, and ballot-box stuffing, voter ID doesn’t prevent those crimes. The only crime it prevents is voter impersonation—one person showing up to the polls, pretending to be someone they’re not. Which is a pretty stupid crime, because you have to stand in line at a polling place and risk five years in prison and a $10,000 fine all to cast one probably not-consequential extra vote. … The truth here is voter impersonation fraud is incredibly rare.

Voter registration doesn’t really fix the problem of voter impersonation because, as John Oliver says, that problem is rare. But it does keep a lot of eligible voters from being able to vote. Here are just a few examples:

–In 2011, Kansas’ Secretary of State Kris Kobach pushed legislation requiring potential voters to provide proof of citizenship when registering to vote. As the ACLU writes, “Most people don’t carry the required documents on hand — like a passport, or a birth certificate — and as a result, the law blocked over 30,000 Kansans from voting. The ACLU sued and defeated the law in 2018.”

–Voter ID laws disproportionately affect voters of color. In that episode of Last Week Tonight, for example, Oliver notes that in Texas, Black voters are nearly twice as likely as white voters not to have an acceptable form of ID, while Latinx voters are nearly two and a half times as likely.

–Indigenous people are hit incredibly hard by voter registration practices. In many states, a physical address is required to register to vote and/or to cast a ballot. But reservations tend not to use addressing systems and residents get their mail at P.O. boxes or cluster mailboxes, which are not recognized as an acceptable address for voter registration in most states.

–Indigenous voters face other obstacles to voting as well. According to the American Bar Association, “Numerous roads on reservations are unimproved dirt or gravel roads in poor quality and are often unnamed. After storms, many roads are impassable. Due to these poor conditions, the U.S. Postal Service does not deliver mail to the majority of the reservation residents at their homes. … Some reservation residents have to travel up to 70 miles in one direction to receive mail.”

–Additionally, “Less than half of the homes on tribal lands have reliable broadband access,” writes the ABA. “Even if a voter has access to broadband on the reservation, most online voter registration systems require a state ID to register to vote and do not accept tribal IDs.”

–Even innocuous-seeming policies like voter registration deadlines can have restrictive effects and no useful purpose in the internet age. Again, from the ACLU:

For example, New York requires voters to register at least 25 days before the election, which imposes an unnecessary burden on the right to vote. By forcing voters to register before the election even becomes salient to the public, it discourages people from registering in the first place. These outdated restrictions — which were designed for a time when registration forms were exclusively completed with pen and paper, and transmitted via snail mail — can significantly impact voter participation. In the 2016 presidential election, over 90,000 New Yorkers were unable to vote because their applications did not meet the 25-day cutoff, and the state had the eighth-worst turnout rate in the country.

So for now, voter registration is, in nearly every state, a necessary evil. There are a lot of really great activists and organizations out there working hard to make sure everyone has access to voting, although it shouldn’t be on them to circumvent these kinds of institutional suppression tactics.

Hopefully someday soon there will be automatic registration at a federal level, but in the meantime, keep an eye on legislation in your area and which of your elected officials are trying to make it harder or easier for you and your community to vote.

(image: Mario Tama/Getty Images)
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