Amy Coney Barrett hearings: 6 things to watch

The Senate Judiciary Committee hearings for Supreme Court nominee Amy Coney Barrett kick off Monday morning -- and the questioning of the former Notre Dame law professor this week will likely steal much of the spotlight away from the ongoing election between President Trump and Joe Biden, especially with the debate originally scheduled for Thursday now cancelled. Senate Judiciary Committee Democrats have a history of grilling nominees on their Christian faith, and specifically Barrett. Ranking Member Diane Feinstein, D-Calif., during Barrett's 7th Circuit confirmation hearing in 2017 told Barrett, "The dogma lives loudly within you, and that's of concern."The comments earned Democrats significant bad press and helped make Barrett a star among Republicans, who have signaled they plan to make any Democrat comments about Barrett's faith a major issue. But Democrats have made clear they are not going to be grilling Barrett on her religion this time around and instead will focus on Barrett's perceived stances on the Affordable Care Act (ACA), which faces a constitutional challenge at the Supreme Court just days after the presidential election. "Her faith is irrelevant, but what is relevant is, what the real issue is, whether her closely held views can be separated from her ability to make objective fair decisions with her lifetime appointment," Senate Judiciary Committee Member Maize Hirono, D-Hawaii, said in response to a reporter after a press conference last week."It comes up, if at all, in the context of her closely held views," Hirono added after the reporter followed up, asking whether Barrett's faith should be discussed at her hearings.2. Democrats more recently have accused Republicans of court-packing by moving to confirm Barrett and focusing on filling vacant seats in the lower federal courts, which is not what court packing means.Expect such accusations to fly from both sides throughout the week, but especially during Monday's opening statements.