By the time Amy Coney Barrett’s Supreme Court confirmation hearing began on Oct. 12, Senate Democrats had all but given up on finding any procedural way of blocking the 48-year-old federal court of appeals judge from reaching the Supreme Court as early as the end of the month.

Instead, Democrats used their time at the Judiciary Committee hearings to portray Barrett’s judicial views as far outside the mainstream and an indication that her confirmation would swing the court wildly to the right and out of step with the public.