On Saturday, September 26, President Donald J. Trump nominated Judge Amy Coney Barrett to the United States Supreme Court to fill the vacancy left by the late Ruth Bader Ginsburg. This action is another example of President Trump keeping his promise to the American people to appoint conservatives judges to fill the courts at every level. He has nominated more than 200 conservative federal judges, including two others to the Supreme Court.
We at Texas Alliance for Life are delighted that the President has nominated Judge Barrett. We believe that, if confirmed, she will be willing to take a fresh look at Roe v. Wade, which is long overdue, as we explained in our news release.
Background
Here are a few interesting facts about Amy Coney Barrett.
If confirmed, she would become the fifth woman to serve as a Supreme Court justice and the first to do so with school-age children, of which she and her husband Jesse have seven. Two are adopted from Haiti, one in 2005 and the second after the earthquake in 2010. Their youngest child was diagnosed prenatally with Down syndrome, and they chose to give birth to the baby.
As the mother of a child with special needs, we believe she fully understands the issues and concerns that confront the most vulnerable in our nation’s population.
Amy Coney Barrett graduated first in her class from the University of Notre Dame Law School Summa Cum Laude.
She later clerked for Judge Laurence Silberman on the U.S Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit from 1997 to 1998 and for Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia from 1998 to 1999. Barrett briefly practiced law in D.C.
She has taught at George Washington University Law School, the University of Virginia School of Law, and Notre Dame Law School, where she became a professor of law in 2010. Barrett three times received the “Distinguished Professor of the Year” award. She has spoken at the Blackstone Legal Fellowship training for law students sponsored by Alliance Defending Freedom. (Over the years Texas Alliance for Life have benefitted from internships from several Blackstone fellows.)
For the last three years, Amy Coney Barrett has served as a judge on the 7th Circuit Court of Appeals, after being confirmed in the United States Senate by a vote of 55-43.
She characterizes her judicial philosophy as the same as her mentor Justice Scalia’s:
I clerked for Justice Scalia more than 20 year ago, but lessons I learned still resonate. His judicial philosophy is mine too. A judge must apply the law as written. Judges are not policymakers, and they must be resolute in setting aside any policy views they might hold.
Opposition Consternation
While those of us in the pro-life community are excited about the prospect of such a distinguished, conservative female judicial replacement for Justice Ginsburg’s seat, many on the left are seething over her nomination.
So-called left-leaning feminists are hypocritically attacking her for a being a mom, asking how she can take care of her kids, and successfully fulfill her duties as a Supreme Court justice. During her acceptance speech at the White House, she gave great credit to her husband, and I think that is part of the answer.
Others are already looking at potentially increasing the makeup of the court from nine to perhaps 11 or more justices if Barrett is confirmed to make room for more liberal justices, so-called court packing.
During the first presidential debate, former Vice President Joe Biden refused to answer moderator Chris Wallace’s question about whether Biden would pack the Supreme Court if Amy Coney Barrett is confirmed and he was elected President.
Likewise, in the vice presidential debate, Kamala Harris was unwilling to answer a question about whether she opposed court packing.
It is unfortunate that these pro-abortion extremists — Joe Biden and Kamala Harris — are unwilling to distance themselves from a radical move to alter the very structure of the Supreme Court in their refusal to recognize the sanctity of human life before birth and the right of states and the Congress to protect those lives from abortion.
Senate Hearings
The Senate Judiciary hearings on the nomination of Judge Barrett began on October 12 and is expected to end on October 15. The Judiciary Committee is expected to vote on Judge Barrett’s nomination next week. Majority Leader Mitch McConnell has announced that he intends the full Senate to vote on her confirmation before the end of October.
Both Texas Senators John Cornyn and Ted Cruz have expressed support for Judge Barrett’s confirmation. Cornyn said this in a statement upon her nomination:
Judge Amy Coney Barrett is a legal trailblazer with a deep respect for the law and our nation’s founding principles. Throughout her impressive career, Judge Barrett has maintained the importance of an independent judiciary that interprets the law and Constitution as-written, and operates free from political pressure.
The hearing are expected to continue through Thursday with a Judiciary Committee vote on her nomination next week. Majority Leader Mitch McConnell has vowed to have a vote in the full Senate prior to the General Election.
Texas Alliance for Life will continue to follow this process closely and update you it develops.