Wednesday morning news - October 28, 2020

Barrett takes judicial oath » Newly confirmed Justice Amy Coney Barrett took her judicial oath in a private ceremony at the Supreme Court Tuesday. 

Justices have to take two oaths before executing the duties of their office. Barrett took the first of those two, the constitutional oath, at the White House Monday night. 

BARRETT: The oath that I have solemnly taken means at its core that I will do my job without any fear or favor. 

Her confirmation remains a political flashpoint in Washington. 

Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer said Tuesday…

SCHUMER: Instead of paying attention to the needs of New Yorkers and the needs of Americans, they have rammed through an extreme right-wing nominee through the Supreme Court. 

But Republican Senator Mike Lee fired back…

LEE: The reason why this is making the heads of Democrats explode everywhere is that they don’t want the courts to be limited to judging institutions. They want them to be institutions of social change, of social policy. 

With just six days to go until Election Day, Barrett’s confirmation is ratcheting up pressure on Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden to declare whether he backs packing the Supreme Court. 

Biden recently said he will state a clear position before November 3rd on whether he’ll support expanding the high court to erase a presumed conservative majority. 

High court won’t extend Wisconsin’s absentee ballot deadline » Meantime, the Supreme Court has ruled that Wisconsin cannot count mail-in ballots received nearly a week after Election Day. WORLD’s Kristen Flavin reports. 

KRISTEN FLAVIN, REPORTER: In a 5-3 order, the justices refused to reinstate a lower court order. That order had called for mailed ballots to be counted if they are received up to six days after the Nov. 3rd election. A federal appeals court had already put that order on hold.

The high court issued the order just before the Senate confirmed Justice Barrett to the court. 

The three liberal justices dissented.

Chief Justice John Roberts last week joined the liberals to preserve a Pennsylvania state court order extending the absentee ballot deadline. But he voted the other way in the Wisconsin case.

Roberts wrote that “Different bodies of law and different precedents govern” the two separate cases.  

Reporting for WORLD, I’m Kristen Flavin. 

Hurricane warning for New Orleans as Zeta takes aim » Louisiana is under another hurricane warning. 

Hurricane Zeta appears to be taking aim at New Orleans and could slam the coast tonight. It would be the fifth named storm to hit the state since June. 

Louisiana Governor John Bel Edwards… 

EDWARDS: We continue to have individuals in shelters in Louisiana from Hurricanes Laura and Delta, a total of 3,587 of them. 

Right now, forecasters expect Zeta to strike the Gulf Coast as a Category 1. As of early this morning, Zeta’s track still wasn’t certain. Robbie Berg with the National Hurricane Center said the storm could strike further to the east. 

BERG: If it stays a little bit to the west it can move on shore earlier across Louisiana. But if it moves a little bit more to the east to the right of the track, it could stay out over the water longer before it reaches the coast of say Mississippi or Alabama. 

Zeta made landfall Monday night as a Category 1 hurricane just north of the ancient Mayan city of Tulum. It’s currently spinning over the Gulf of Mexico.  

Philadelphia mayor calls for peace following police shooting, riots » AUDIO: [Sound of protest]

Philadelphia Mayor Jim Kenney is calling for calm after violent protests broke out in his city over a police shooting. The Democratic mayor told the public on Tuesday…

KENNEY: I know that many Philadelphians are feeling frustrated and outraged following yesterday’s tragic incident. I fully support your First Amendment rights to protest. But we also want to ensure that our communities are not further hurt as a result.

On Monday, officers responded to a report of a person with a weapon. 

Cell phone video showed a 27-year-old black man, later identified as Walter Wallace, advancing toward two officers while holding up a knife. 

The officers backed away into the street and police spokesman Sergeant Eric Gripp described what happened next. 

GRIPP: The male continued to follow after the officers while brandishing the weapon. The officers ordered him to drop it several more times. He unfortunately did not and the officers discharged their weapons several times, striking the male. [gun shots]

The bullets struck Wallace in the shoulder and chest. One of the officers then put him in a patrol car and drove him to a hospital, where doctors pronounced him dead a short time later.

Hundreds took to the streets Monday and Tuesday, some setting police cars and dumpsters on fire as police struggled to contain the crowds. Some protesters also threw bricks and rocks at police, injuring 30 officers.

(AP Photo/Patrick Semansky) President Donald Trump watches as Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas administers the Constitutional Oath to Amy Coney Barrett on the South Lawn of the White House White House in Washington, Monday, Oct. 26, 2020.

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