Thousands of women protested as part of the second Women’s March of the year in Washington D.C. and several U.S. cities demanding an end to Donald Trump’s regime and his nomination of Judge Amy Coney Barrett to the Supreme Court and hailing the legacy of the late Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg and more. With messages such as #CountOnUs and #EverythingIsOnTheLine, marchers headed to the Supreme Court where they heard speakers. At one point they collided with anti-abortion protesters openly calling for an overturning of the Roe V. Wade ruling. Speakers from Black Lives Matter drew attention to the on-going demand for police accountability and also sent a strong message that women are voting in massive numbers this election. 

The Senate Judiciary Committee has set October 22nd for a committee vote for Judge Barrett’s nomination to head to the full Senate for a vote. Senate Majority leader Mitch McConnell, moving at lightning speed has decided that the full Senate will vote on her nomination a day later. Among the many objections progressives, liberals, and Democrats have to her confirmation to the nation’s highest court in the midst of an election is that Barrett could be called upon to rule in an election decision as one of her first tasks as a Justice, and that as a staunch conservative she would rule in favor of President Trump. Now, a former Appeals Court Judge named J. Michael Luttig wrote an op-ed in the Washington Post citing a 2009 Supreme Court ruling requiring a judge to recuse themselves from any decision where there was a perception of possible bias toward a plaintiff or defendant. 

Americans are surging to the polls to cast their ballots for the November 3rd election, with more than 27 million voters taking advantage of early voting rules in various states. The number has shattered previous records and Democrats are outnumbering Republicans in early voting by 2 to 1 strongly indicating greater enthusiasm among liberal voters. In Georgia early voting has resulted in, “a 59.7% increase at the polls and 644% by mail,” as per a statement from the Georgia Secretary of State. Florida voters have now begun to cast their ballots in the critical battleground state. According to ABC News, “Democrats have cast nearly 470,000 more absentee ballots than Republicans — a shocking turn of events for a state where Republicans typically vote by mail at higher rates than Democrats.” But Republicans are expected to show up in increasing numbers in-person closer to election day. The GOP continues its legal assault on mail-in voting over fears that a full exercise of democratic rights could cost them political power. A court has now ruled that mail-in ballots received after 8 pm on election day in Michigan will not be counted.