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2020 Supreme Court confirmation: What you need to know

By Mitchell Miller
FILE – Judge Amy Coney Barrett, President Donald Trumps nominee for the U.S. Supreme Court, meets with Sen. Josh Hawley, R-Mo., on Capitol Hill in Washington, Thursday, Oct. 1, 2020. (Demetrius Freeman/The Washington Post via AP, Pool)

The spread of COVID-19 cases within the White House and among members of the U.S. Senate has left little margin for error related to the confirmation of Supreme Court nominee Amy Coney Barrett.

Three Republican senators have been in self-isolation since announcing last week they had tested positive for the novel coronavirus. President Donald Trump and first lady Melania Trump also tested positive last week.

There are a lot of factors at play involving the confirmation of a high court nominee under the best of circumstances. Confirming a nominee amid a pandemic ahead of a U.S. presidential election presents a unique set of circumstances.

Here’s what you need to know.

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How Capitol Hill is balancing extraordinary security, everyday life

By Neal Augenstein
Days after the violent takeover of the U.S. Capitol, and days before the inauguration of President-elect Joe Biden, residents, business owners and visitors on Capitol Hill are experiencing the ups and downs of proximity to "The People's House." Within hours of the Jan. 6 insurrection, a 7-foot-high "non-scalable" fence was erected around the grounds of the Capitol.
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