Contentious Coney Barrett confirmation hearing begins

WASHINGTON, D.C. (NBC News) – The confirmation hearing for Supreme Court nominee Amy Coney Barrett is underway.

President Trump’s third nominee is making the case that she plans to stick to the words of the Constitution, saying in her opening statement, “The courts are not designed to solve every problem, or right every wrong in our public life.”

Barrett is a favorite among Republicans, a conservative protégé of the late Justice Antonin Scalia, a mother of seven and a devout Catholic.

Democrats, however, worry Barrett would shift the court to a 6-3 conservative majority in the long-term, and are concerned about how she might rule next month as the high court considers a challenge to the Affordable Care Act.