{"database": "press", "table": "releases", "rows": [["https://www.coons.senate.gov/news/press-releases/video-sen-coons-message-to-delawareans-ahead-of-scotus-confirmation-hearings", "VIDEO: Sen. Coons message to Delawareans ahead of SCOTUS confirmation hearings", "2020-10-07", "2020", "2020-10", "Democrat", "House", "DE", "Christopher Coons", "C001088", "www.coons.senate.gov", null, null, "legacy", "WILMINGTON, Del.  Yesterday, U.S. Sen. Chris Coons\r\n(D-Del.), a member of the Senate Judiciary Committee, released a video message to\r\nDelawareans about his concerns with holding confirmation hearings for Judge Amy\r\nConey Barrett, nominated for a lifetime appointment to the U.S. Supreme Court,\r\ndespite a recent outbreak of COVID-19 among SJC members. \"I am working very hard today with my legal team to\r\nprepare for what Chairman Lindsey Graham says will be confirmation hearings\r\nnext week for Judge Barrett who's been nominated to fill the Supreme Court\r\nvacancy caused by the untimely passing of Justice Ginsburg. \"As I've been reading through Judge Barrett's law\r\nreview opinions, her legal opinions, her speeches, and her written record, I\r\nhave one overwhelming question, which is, why are we proceeding at all? We have\r\nthree U.S. senators who are infected with the COVID-19 disease. We have a\r\nspreading pandemic that continues to infect thousands and thousands of Americans\r\nevery week  more than 7 million who have been infected to date and a COVID-19\r\noutbreak in the White House. \"I have joined all the Democrats on Judiciary,\r\nwriting Majority Leader McConnell and Chairman Graham, urging them not to proceed.\r\nWe have suspended Senate votes this week. If it is not safe enough for us to go\r\nto the Senate to cast votes, it's not safe enough for us to proceed with a\r\nconfirmation hearing for Judge Barrett. \"We are now just 29 days from the election. Millions\r\nof Americans have already voted in 27 states. We have never had the Supreme Court\r\nnomination of a justice considered by the Senate this close to an election  in\r\nour history. \"I don't think we should be proceeding and neither do\r\nyou; I've heard from thousands of Delawareans, who've called or emailed or\r\nmessaged my office, expressing their opposition to moving forward. Despite that,\r\nI am convinced that the Republican majority will demand that we move ahead, and\r\nwe cannot block them by the rules of the committee. Just one member is required\r\nto be present for there to be a quorum. \"So, I likely will be questioning Judge Barrett next\r\nweek, but during the proceeding, my first question will be, why are we doing\r\nthis at all?\" To watch Sen. Coons' full video message, visit youtu.be/PyHVfKbxano. Upcoming\r\nSJC proceedings, meetings, and live-stream events are accessible via judiciary.senate.gov.   \r\n ###", 1, "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z", "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z"]], "columns": ["url", "title", "date", "year", "month", "party", "chamber", "state", "member_name", "bioguide_id", "domain", "scraper", "source", "date_source", "text", "has_text", "collected_at", "updated_at"], "primary_keys": ["url"], "primary_key_values": ["https://www.coons.senate.gov/news/press-releases/video-sen-coons-message-to-delawareans-ahead-of-scotus-confirmation-hearings"], "units": {}, "query_ms": 0.8605900220572948, "source": "dwillis/congress-press", "source_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press", "license": "MIT", "license_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press/blob/main/LICENSE"}