Supreme Court nom hearings protests prompt 21 arrests
A protestor is arrested by Capitol Police after blocking an entrance to the Dirksen Senate Office Building the morning that the confirmation hearings begin for Judge Amy Coney Barrett to become an Associate Justice on Capitol Hill on October 12, 2020
WASHINGTON - Twenty-one people were arrested during protests against Supreme Court nominee Amy Coney Barrett Monday morning in D.C.
President Donald Trump nominated Barrett following the death of venerated liberal justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg.
U.S. Capitol Police say they responded to the Dirksen Senate Office Building around 8:35 a.m.
They charged the various protesters with crimes including crowding, obstructing, or incommoding. One protester was charged with unlawful conduct.
More than 100 protesters were arrested in D.C. during October 2018 protests over controversial nominee Brett Kavanaugh.
Republicans appeared to have the votes to confirm the 48-year-old conservative judge to a lifetime seat on the Supreme Court, barring any major development.
If confirmed, Barrett would move the balance of the court to a 6-3 conservative majority.