Friday round-up

The justices are meeting Friday for a private conference, where they are taking a second look at petitions that ask them to weigh in on the funding for President Donald Trump’s border wall and a Fourth Amendment issue about police pursuit of a suspect. The court is expected to release orders from the conference on Monday. Meanwhile, the Senate is moving full steam ahead on the nomination of Judge Amy Coney Barrett to the Supreme Court. The Senate Judiciary Committee wrapped up its nomination hearings with testimony from witnesses supporting and opposing Barrett’s nomination, and the committee scheduled an Oct. 22 vote to send her nomination to the full Senate. Despite efforts by Democrats to postpone the proceedings, members of both parties indicated they expect Barrett to be confirmed.

Other Supreme Court-related news and commentary from around the web:

• Amy Coney Barrett’s Character, Qualifications Discussed by Witnesses (Lindsay Wise, The Wall Street Journal)
• Amy Coney Barrett’s answers were murky but her conservative philosophy is clear (Joan Biskupic, CNN)
• Amy Coney Barrett’s arrival on the Supreme Court is inevitable (Steven Mazie, The Economist)
• No More Surprises. Confirm Judge Barrett (Keisha Russell, Newsweek)
• Dems probe ‘huge consequences’ of Barrett confirmation (Pamela King, E&E News)
• Can A Woman Sue Cops Who Shot Her In The Back? Supreme Court Unsure If Fourth Amendment Even Applies (Nick Sibilla, Forbes)
• In Gratuitously Attacking Marriage Equality, Clarence Thomas Accidentally Raised an Important Question About the Scope of Religious Liberty (Michael Dorf, Verdict)

We rely on our readers to send us links for our round-up. If you have or know of a recent (published in the last two or three days) article, post, podcast or op-ed relating to the Supreme Court that you’d like us to consider for inclusion, please send it to roundup@scotusblog.com. Thank you!