Uniquely Nelson

The second race boat built by America's Cup challenger INEOS Team UK is bound for New Zealand. The 75-foot race boat (code named RB2) will take four days, with two stopovers, onboard a 1987 Ukrainian Antonov cargo plane to get to Auckland. Once the race boat arrives at the newly constructed INEOS Team UK base in the Viaduct the final fit out will be completed ready for her launch and maiden sail next month. Holders Team New Zealand and challenger American Magic are already testing in Waitemata Harbour but the Italian Luna Rossa Challenger of Record is likely to face two months with no sailing, having wound up its European summer sailing campaign in Sardinia on August 28. Advertisement Four times Olympic Gold medallist, America's Cup winner, INEOS Team UK Team Principal and skipper Sir Ben Ainslie is currently in two-week mandatory quarantine and counting down the days until sailing operations begin. "As a challenger you're always playing catch up on the race boat design from the Defender who gets to define the rules," he said. "That's the game we chose to compete in, so we had to give ourselves maximum design and build time in the UK, which meant the Antonov was the only transport option. It's testament to the huge effort by the whole team to get RB2 built and delivered to New Zealand on schedule. We can't wait to get her out sailing." RB2 leaving the INEOS Team UK base in Portsmouth. Photo / Harry KH INEOS Team UK Project Director Dave Endean has overseen the build and safe transportation of RB2 to New Zealand. "It's been a huge operation to get to this point and a real team effort.", said Dave Endean. "The logistics of moving an entire America's Cup team, including two AC75 boats, to New Zealand are not insignificant and it has taken a lot of time and hard work from the entire team to make it happen. It was an important milestone to get our race boat on the Antonov cargo plane today and I, and the rest of our team left in the UK, can't wait to join the team in New Zealand now and get sailing in the Auckland Harbour." Ainslie is promising a vastly different second generation AC75 to their first boat 'Britannia.' Earlier this month, Ainslie told NZME from his base in Portsmouth that all the team's boats will be significantly different. Advertisement "I was talking to Grant Dalton (Team NZ CEO) the other day and he was saying even with the New Zealand boat and Italian boats, which are similar, they are making some big changes and you would expect that in a new class and development class like this, there will be some really big differences," he said. "There will be some big differences in performance for sure when we first line up against each other and the key will be how quickly the teams develop and keep developing through the competition." Ainslie believes the two months leading up to the Christmas Cup regatta featuring all four teams will be more intense than usual in the America's Cup cycle due to the uncertainty and unknown created by the Covid-19 pandemic. The cancellation of the Cagliari and Portsmouth regattas has added another level of intrigue and Ainslie's excited. "There's so much more intrigue because no one's lined up in a brand new class of boat. It's going to be a really intense period for all the teams and really exciting to see how people line up and how they develop and which teams develop through the competition, so it's going to be a lot to take in in the next six months in the America's Cup world," he said.

Kiwi UFC middleweight champion Israel Adesanya walked away with a reported $1.05m after his title defence against Brazilian Paulo Costa. Adesanya made easy work of Costa with a second round TKO victory at UFC 253 at Fight Island in Abu Dabhi on Sunday. Just for showing up, the 31-year-old earned a guaranteed $915,000, which was reportedly a 10 per cent increase from his previous title defence againt Yoel Romero – and it will likely increase as his stocks continue to rise in the UFC. Aside from the base salary, Adesanya also earned $61,000 for promotional work in the lead up to the fight and claimed a 'Fight of the Night' bonus to the tune of another $76,200. Advertisement Adesanya dominated the fight, handing Costa his first loss of his professional career. And it took him just under nine minutes to do so. After the fight, he alluded to his financial windfall on Twitter, joking about buying a new Rolls Royce. *me gets a new Rolls Royce drop top coupe*Police: How much did that set ya back kid?Me: Oh this...it COSTA lot.? — Israel Adesanya (@stylebender) September 28, 2020 According to UFC president Dana White, Adesanya's bout broke several records, with the pre-fight stare-down becoming the most-watched in the organisation's history. The pay-per-view buys for the event, which hasn't been revealed, are also expected to be substantial. Despite the relatively straightforward victory, the latest win will likely be Adesanya's biggest of his career when it comes to earning him more global name-recognition and commercial opportunities. Aside from the UFC payouts, Adesanya also has several sponsorships on the go. He recently signed a deal with Puma and was on the cover of the UFC's latest video game. Adesanya has also been outspoken about the UFC's pay structure when it comes to fighters who don't make weight and called for a harsher penalty to be imposed on those fighters, who he labeled "cheats". Adesanya's City Kickboxing teammate Shane Young was knocked out on the same card over the weekend by Ludovit Klein, who was four pounds (1.81kg) over the 146-pound (66.2kg) featherweight limit. Israel Adesanya celebrates after defeating Paulo Costa. Photo / Getty Young earned 30 per cent of Klein's purse but Adesanya believes it wasn't enough and wants fighters who miss weight to receive a bigger penalty. Advertisement "It's just cheating," Adesanya said after defeating Costa. "I'm telling you, if you fine someone 90 per cent of your purse if you miss weight, I guarantee you no matter how much money you're making, no one is going to go through this whole camp, through this whole s***, and be willing to give 90 per cent of their pay to the other guy. "They will take every second to make the weight. "Even if you're making $5 million, if 90 per cent of that goes to your opponent I guarantee you people will make weight." Adesanya said Klein and Zubaira Tukhugov – who also missed weight by four pounds for his lightweight loss to Hakeem Dawodu – were unprofessional. "We [City Kickboxing] have guys like Carlos Ulberg and Blood Diamond who aren't even in the UFC yet and they were ready, they were already close to their weight, they're professionals," Adesanya said. Advertisement "So if you can't hack it, go home because we have killers who are ready to go." UFC president Dana White said Adesanya was "not wrong" but explained that any rule changes will have to come from the relevant commissions. "That's not our place, that's the commission that handles that," White said. "But he's not wrong, take 80 or 90 per cent of any body's money they're going to show up the right way."

Some 120 million rapid diagnostic tests for coronavirus will be made available to low- and middle-income countries at a maximum of $5 per unit, the World Health Organisation says. Photo: 123RF WHO Director General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said the manufacturers Abbott and SD Biosensor had agreed with the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation to "make 120 million of these new, highly portable and easy-to-use rapid Covid-19 diagnostic tests available over a period of six months". He told a news conference in Geneva the tests were currently priced at a maximum of $5 each but were expected to become cheaper. "This will enable the expansion of testing, particularly in hard-to-reach areas that do not have laboratory facilities or enough trained health workers to carry out tests," Tedros said. "This is a vital addition to the testing capacity and especially important in areas of high transmission." In other international Covid-19 developments: According to researchers at Johns Hopkins University, there have been almost one million confirmed deaths from Covid-19 in the world. But the number is likely to be an underestimate as testing rates in many countries remain low, with virus-related deaths not being recorded. The number of new COVID-19 cases in the United States has risen for two weeks in a row in 27 out of 50 states, with North Carolina and New Mexico both reporting increases above 50 percent last week, according to a Reuters analysis. Quebec, the Canadian province hardest hit by the novel coronavirus, reported another sharp increase in daily infections on Monday, amid media reports that Premier Francois Legault would announce new restrictions for Montreal and capital Quebec City The British government tightened restrictions on socialising in parts of northeast England in response to high and increasing Covid-19 infection rates in the region. From Wednesday, residents in seven areas including urban centres such as Newcastle, Gateshead, Sunderland and Durham will be barred from socialising indoors with people from outside their household or strictly defined social bubble. - Reuters, BBC

Dreamworld's parent company Ardent Leisure has been fined A$3.6 million over the deaths of four people, including New Zealander Cindy Low, on the Thunder River Rapids Ride in 2016. Flowers outside Dreamworld in Queensland, where four people died. Photo: AFP Ardent Leisure pleaded guilty to three breaches of workplace health and safety laws. The maximum penalty for each breach is A$1.5 million - A$4.5 million in total. Cindy Low, Kate Goodchild, Luke Dorsett and his partner Roozi Araghi died when their raft collided with an empty raft and flipped in October 2016. Earlier today, the Southport Magistrates Court heard emotional victims impact statements from the family of victims, including a teenager who saw her mother and two uncles killed on the Dreamworld ride four years ago. Ebony Turner was 12 when she witnessed the deadly accident on the Thunder River Rapids Ride in 2016. The teenager has been accompanied by Kim Dorsett, who is her grandmother and the mother of ride victims Kate Godchild and Luke Dorsett. Dorsett's partner Roozi Araghi and Cindy Low also died when their raft collided with an empty raft and flipped. Dorsett gave a victim impact statement at the theme park's sentencing at Southport Magistrates Court this morning. She recounted the moment when she saw her granddaughter Ebony at the police station after being told about the tragedy. "Ebony had survived the accident and was hysterical trying to tell of the events that had taken place that afternoon," Ms Dorsett told the court. "'I couldn't find Mummy. "These words have become a recurring nightmare, words that will be with me until I too take my last breath." Dorsett stopped several times to reach for tissues during her emotional address, which she had travelled from Canberra with Ebony to deliver in person. She described her daily struggles with PTSD, loss of memory and organisational skills, and a life now lived in a "lonely village of grief". Victims watch proceedings via video link A number of the victims' family members have been watching proceedings via video link, including Low's brother, Michael Cook, and her husband, Matthew Low. Queensland's independent Work Health and Safety Prosecutor, Aaron Guilfoyle, has charged Dreamworld's parent company Ardent Leisure with three counts of Failure to Comply with Health and Safety Duty, Category 2, under the Queensland Health and Safety Act. The maximum penalty for each breach is $1.5 million - equating to $4.5 million in total. In July, Ardent Leisure appeared briefly in the Southport Magistrates Court and pleaded guilty to all three charges. A coronial inquest into the four deaths made findings of a series of failures at the park, including safety and maintenance systems that the coroner described as "rudimentary at best" and "frighteningly unsophisticated". Work Health and Safety prosecutor Aaron Guilfoyle recommended Magistrate Pamela Dowse heavily penalise Ardent Leisure, and that a conviction be recorded. "The failures of the defendant were not momentary," Guilfoyle said. "The failures did not occur solely on the day of the incident, they were failures well before then, which led ultimately to what transpired. "This is a rare case in which a penalty close to the available maximum is appropriate." 'Ardent apologises for the terrible tragedy' Ardent Leisure's legal representative, Bruce Hodgkinson SC told the court the company did not dispute the facts presented by Guilfoyle, opening his submissions with an apology. "Ardent apologises for the terrible tragedy which occurred," Hodgkinson told the court. "Ardent apologises unreservedly to the family and friends of Roozi Araghi, Luke Dorsett, Kate Goodchild and Cindy Low for the past failures of Dreamworld as identified by this prosecution. "Ardent expresses its deepest sympathies to the immediate and extended families for their enormous loss and ongoing suffering. "Ardent also apologises to all those who have been so deeply impacted by this tragedy: first responders, bystanders, Queensland police and ambulance services, Dreamworld staff and many other people involved who have been affected." Hodgkinson said since the tragedy, Ardent Leisure had been working with cross-industry experts to bring Dreamworld's safety and systems up to world standards. He told the court this included comprehensive engineering reviews, situational emergency training on a planned and ad-hoc basis for staff, and the development of new safety regulations for theme parks with the Queensland Government. "In addition to working with the regulator, Dreamworld has consulted extensively with industry and broad experience, both in the theme park industry and in the aviation, mining and oil and gas industries," Hodgkinson said. "They are industries that have had a lot of scrutiny, both internal and external, in the relation to development of safety mechanisms. "Those have been drawn upon to ensure that the park, on an ongoing basis, has been made safe and has been brought up to world safety standards." 'Largest workplace fine in Queensland history' In a statement issued after the fine, Ardent Leisure chairman Gary Weiss and CEO John Osborne said they accepted the court's decision to impose "the largest fine in Queensland history for a workplace tragedy". "Ardent accepts responsibility for this tragedy without qualification or reservation," their statement said. "The majority of families, first responders and others impacted by the tragedy have received compensation. "The Ardent board has, and continues to, press for the expeditious resolution of the remaining claims noting that, in the case of compensation for minors, the court's approval is required before compensation can be finalised. "The construction of the Memorial Garden announced in February was put on hold due to the Covid-19 pandemic and this project will recommence in the next few months following consultation with immediate family members." - ABC

US president Donald Trump paid extremely little in recent income taxes as heavy losses from his enterprises offset hundreds of millions of dollars in income, according to the New York Times. The New York Times report said Trump paid no income taxes in 10 of the last 15 years. Photo: AFP Citing tax-return data, the Times reported Trump, who is seeking re-election in November, paid just $US750 in federal income taxes in both 2016 and 2017, and paid no income taxes in 10 of the last 15 years. This was despite receiving $US427.4 million through 2018 from his reality television program and other endorsement and licensing deals. Trump was able to minimize his tax bill by reporting heavy losses across his business empire. The Times reported that Trump claimed $US47.4 million in losses in 2018, despite claiming income of at least $US434.9 million in a financial disclosure that year. Trump denied the report on Sunday, calling it "total fake news" at a White House news conference. In a statement to the Times, Alan Garten, a lawyer for the Trump Organization, said Trump had paid millions of dollars in personal taxes over the past decade, without weighing in on the specific income tax finding. Trump has consistently refused to release his taxes, departing from standard practice for presidential candidates, saying they are under audit. The Times said it had obtained tax-return data covering over two decades for Trump and companies within his business organisation. It did not have information about his personal returns from 2018 or 2019. The Times also reported Trump is currently embroiled in a decade-long Internal Revenue Service audit over a $US72.9 million tax refund he claimed after declaring large losses. If the IRS rules against him, he could have to pay over $US100 million, according to the newspaper. - Reuters

Members of the East Grinstead Rugby Football Club have paid tribute to London Met Police officer, Matiu Ratana - known as Matt to his friends, who was a role model to many as their coach. On Friday, Sergeant Ratana was shot dead by a handcuffed suspect who was in custody. The club held two periods of silence on Sunday - at 9.30am and 11am - to remember Sergeant Ratana and flew the club's flag at half-mast alongside the New Zealand flag and the All Blacks flag to honour his roots. At the 11am minute, there were about 500 to 700 people and when the minute's silence was up, Sussex's East Grinstead Rugby Football Club assistant coach Ryan Morlen said no one wanted to move. East Grinstead Rugby Football Club's tribute to Matt Ratana. Photo: East Grinstead RFC / Facebook "It was just in that moment then it felt a little more real. It felt as everyone had really lost a true friend, a true role model ... and then as they do how Matt would have liked it, they picked up a rugby ball and played again." Morlen told Morning Report he knew Ratana for about five to six years through the gym and then rugby. "[He was] really really passionate about rugby ... just a really kind bloke who could speak to absolutely anyone. "That was just Matt, he was just the loveliest of blokes." Morlen said he found out about Ratana's death when he saw the news that a sergeant had been shot at in Croydon. "At that moment it was unofficial but kind of tying things together it was highly likely it was going to be Matt. I knew he was on that shift there." He said Ratana as head coach had built a strong foundation for the rugby club. "Everyone's devastated. "He really has left a mark on so many people from senior men's rugby to women's rugby, to juniors. At that rugby club he's had the chance to coach everyone. He's just a real club man, he's really bought in ... he's laid the foundation. "His passing is terribly difficult for a lot of people at that rugby club." Clubs around the country have been holding a minute's applause in memory of Police Sergeant Matiu Ratana.Matt was Director of Rugby @RugbyEGRFC and a huge part of our rugby family. https://t.co/cW0Li2MvKI — England Rugby (@EnglandRugby) September 27, 2020 Morlen said although Ratana was involved in the coaching and training, he also sunk his teeth into various aspects like getting sponsors and deciding the type of kits. "He just wanted what was best for others. he was not a selfish person at all ... just a superb bloke." Morlen, who has been at the club only six months, hopes to carry on Ratana's legacy. "We need to continue building the rugby club as a community. Stopping now is not what he would have wanted." Ratana's cousin, Adrian Rurahwe, said friends and family are devastated by the news. "Not only to lose a close relative but the nature in which he was taken," Rurahwe said. The family was looking to hold a commemoration, but needed to take into consideration travel and health restrictions in light of Covid-19. He said the distance between New Zealand and the UK had also made things more difficult. "We're half a world away, so that's impacted on our ability to carry out all of the cultural aspects of losing someone close to you." He said family members were looking to go over to the UK and were in contact with friends of Ratana there. @WorcsRugbyClub girls junior section paying respects to #SgtMattRatana and all others in the #ThinBlueLine @metpoliceuk @RugbyEGRFC #NationalPoliceMemorialDay pic.twitter.com/ucGhgRQFNs — Butters Ant (@rugby_dad_146) September 27, 2020 Thank you to all the wonderful residents who have attended the police station with flowers, cards and pure love for #SgtMattRatanaWe are very taken aback and really appreciate your gestures. pic.twitter.com/ZkBhediB5Z — Hackney Police (gov.uk/coronavirus) (@MPSHackney) September 27, 2020

A man has been arrested on suspicion of supplying a firearm as part of the investigation into the fatal shooting of New Zealand-born police officer Matiu Ratana in London. Matiu Ratana was fatally shot as a handcuffed suspect was being taken into custody in Croyden, London, on Friday. Photo: Hackney Police The 54-year-old custody sergeant died in hospital after being shot at the Croydon custody centre as a handcuffed suspect was taken into custody on Friday morning. The man is then believed to have turned the gun on himself, and remains in hospital. "He is in a critical condition and consequently we are not able to speak to him," the police said. Police said another man was arrested in the early hours of Sunday in Norwich, Norfolk, on suspicion of supplying a firearm. The second arrest came as Sgt Ratana was remembered by friends and teammates at East Grinstead Rugby Club, where he was head coach. Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern told Morning Report Police Commissioner Andrew Coster was in contact with his counterpart in the UK over the "tragic loss" of Ratana, who had family here and other ties to New Zealand. If his family were to travel there for the funeral and return, the cost of their managed isolation would be covered by the 'humanitarian reasons' exemption, Ardern said. The West Sussex club's vice chairman Matt Marriot said they had to arrange two separate minute's silences because the "interest has been pretty enormous", with "people coming from all over the country". He said Sgt Ratana, who was known as Matt, had been "a role model, a mentor and often a father figure", and the club mourned him "as a family member". PC Sarah D'Silva, who plays for the club's women's team as well as working at Croydon Police Station, said it felt "extremely poignant" joining the minute's silence. She wore her police uniform to pay her respects to Sgt Ratana, who she described as "an absolutely fantastic character, full of life, with the biggest smile you've ever seen". Met Police Commissioner Dame Cressida Dick, speaking at the National Police Memorial in central London earlier, said she "hadn't been surprised at all" by the number of tributes paid to him. "Matt was an extraordinary person... he had a wonderful personality and he was very good at his job," she said, adding that he was a "proud Kiwi". Prince Charles also paid tribute to Sgt Ratana during a National Police Memorial Day service, saying his death was the "latest heartbreaking evidence of the risks". Searches continue at Croydon Custody Centre, where the shooting happened, an address in Park Road, Banstead, Surrey, and an address in Southbrook Road, Norbury. Residents near one of the search areas, in Banstead, Surrey, reported hearing a loud noise on Saturday morning. and were later told that a controlled explosion had taken place. The Banstead address is down a long driveway and its land contains a series of concrete bunkers. A marked police car has been guarding the entrance to the property. - Reuters / BBC / RNZ

Residents of Lake Jackson, Texas, have been urged not to use tap water because it might be contaminated with a deadly brain-eating microbe. File photo. Photo: 123RF The local water authority warned of the potential contamination of its supply to the town - home to about 27,000 people - by Naegleria fowleri. The amoeba typically infects people when contaminated water enters the body through the nose. It is usually fatal. Infections are rare in the US, with 34 reported between 2009 and 2018. Eight Texas communities were told on Friday night not to use their water supply for any reason except to flush toilets. But the warning was lifted on Saturday for everywhere but Lake Jackson. The Texas Commission on Environmental Quality said residents of Lake Jackson should continue to avoid using tap water "until the water system has been adequately flushed and samples indicate that the water is safe to use". It said it is not yet known how long this will take. Naegleria fowleri is found around the world. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) says the majority of infections in the US have been caused by contaminated freshwater in southern states. The CDC says people cannot get infected by swallowing contaminated water, and it cannot be passed from person to person. Those infected with Naegleria fowleri have symptoms including fever, nausea and vomiting, as well as a stiff neck and headaches. Most die within a week. An infection was previously confirmed in the US state of Florida earlier this year. At the time, health officials there urged locals to avoid nasal contact with water from taps and other sources. - BBC

Susan Ryan, a trailblazing figure for women in politics who later served as Australia's first age discrimination commissioner, has died aged 77. Susan Ryan, former Australian minister. Photo: Supplied / Twitter Ryan served as a minister in Bob Hawke's Labor government, holding titles including special minister of state, minister for education and minister assisting the prime minister for the status women. She was the first woman to hold the portfolio relating to women's affairs, and the first female minister from the Labor Party. Key laws enshrining opportunity and rights for women were legislated on her watch, including the Sex Discrimination Act. She would later be quoted as calling the Sex Discrimination Act "probably the most useful thing I've done in my life". Ryan was elected to the Senate in 1975 as one of the first representatives for the ACT after it was granted two seats in the Senate. She remained in Parliament for 12 years before retiring in 1987. In 2011 she was appointed Australia's first age discrimination commissioner, later also serving as disability discrimination commissioner. - ABC

US President Donald Trump announces Amy Coney Barrett as his nomination for the Supreme Court. Photo: Getty Images US President Donald Trump has announced conservative appellate judge Amy Coney Barrett as his third US Supreme Court appointment, setting off a scramble in the Republican-led Senate to confirm her before Election Day in five-and-a-half weeks. Barrett appeared at the White House with Trump as he made the announcement. Trump called her "one of our nation's most brilliant and gifted legal minds." If confirmed to replace liberal icon Ruth Bader Ginsburg, who died at age 87 on 18 September, Barrett would become the fifth woman ever to serve on the top US judicial body and push its conservative majority to a commanding 6-3. With Trump's fellow Republicans controlling the Senate, confirmation appears certain, though Democrats may try to make the process as difficult as possible. Barrett, 48, was appointed by Trump to the Chicago-based 7th US Circuit Court of Appeals in 2017 and is a favourite of religious conservatives, a key Trump voter bloc. Conservative activists have hailed Trump's selection, which surfaced on Friday night, while liberals have voiced dismay. Like Trump's two other appointees, Neil Gorsuch in 2017 and Brett Kavanaugh in 2018, Barrett is young enough that she could serve for decades. Barrett is the youngest Supreme Court nominee since conservative Clarence Thomas was 43 in 1991. The White House ceremony was decorated with American flags arranged in a way similar to the day when President Bill Clinton nominated Ginsburg in 1993. A makeshift memorial in honour of Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg in front of the US Supreme Court Photo: AFP The selection kicks off a flurry of activity that must take place before the final confirmation vote, including public hearings in the coming weeks before the Senate Judiciary Committee. A White House source said the nominee on Tuesday will begin the traditional courtesy calls on individual senators in their offices, with Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell up first. White House Counsel Pat Cipollone is expected to shepherd the nomination. Judiciary Committee Chairman Lindsey Graham, who mounted an angry defense of Kavanaugh during tense confirmation hearings in 2018, has signalled he expects to have Barrett confirmed as a justice by the 3 November election in which Trump is seeking a second term. Democrats are still furious over McConnell's 2016 refusal to consider President Barack Obama's Supreme Court nomination of Merrick Garland because it came during an election year. Democratic presidential candidate Joe Biden has said the winner of the election should get to replace Ginsburg. Republicans hold a 53-47 Senate majority. Only two Republican senators have opposed proceeding with the confirmation process. Abortion rights advocates have voiced concern that Barrett, a devout Roman Catholic, could cast a vote for overturning the landmark 1973 Roe v. Wade ruling legalising abortion nationwide. Jeanne Mancini, president of March for Life, an anti-abortion group, in a statement on Saturday expressed confidence that Barrett "will fairly apply the law and Constitution as written, which includes protecting the most vulnerable in our nation: our unborn children." Brian Burch, president of CatholicVote, a faith-based advocacy group, added, "Catholics are thrilled with the expected nomination of Judge Amy Coney Barrett and believe she represents the best choice to protect the rule of law and our constitutional rights." Abortion rights groups and other liberal-leaning organisations announced plans for a protest against her nomination on Sunday in front of the Supreme Court. Barrett has staked out conservative legal positions in three years on the bench, voting in favor of one of Trump's hardline immigration policies and showing support for expansive gun rights. She also authored a ruling making it easier for college students accused of campus sexual assaults to sue their institutions. Amy Coney Barrett. Photo: AFP / University of Notre Dame / Julian Velasco She and her lawyer husband have seven children, two of whom were adopted from Haiti. Born in New Orleans, Barrett received her law degree from Notre Dame Law School, a Catholic institution in Indiana. The other finalist mentioned by Trump to fill the vacancy was Barbara Lagoa, a Cuban-American federal appeals court judge from Florida who he appointed last year. Trump has said he wants his nominee confirmed before the election so she would be able participate in any election-related cases that reach the justices, potentially casting a key vote in his favor. A US presidential election's outcome only once has been determined by the Supreme Court, in 2000 when it clinched Republican George W. Bush's victory over Democrat Al Gore. Trump has repeatedly without evidence said voting by mail, a regular feature of American elections, will lead to voter fraud. He also has refused to commit to a peaceful transfer of power should he lose the election. This marks the first time since 1956 that a US president has moved to fill a Supreme Court vacancy so close to an election. In that year, President Dwight Eisenhower three weeks before winning re-election placed William Brennan on the court using a procedure called a "recess appointment" that bypassed the Senate, a tactic no longer available for installing justices. An emboldened Supreme Court conservative majority could shift the United States to the right on hot-button issues by, among other things, curbing abortion rights, expanding religious rights, striking down gun control laws, and endorsing new restrictions on voting rights.