Amy Coney Barrett appointed to Supreme Court
Judge Amy Coney Barrett, President Donald Trumps nominee for the U.S. Supreme Court, meets with Sen. David Perdue, R-Ga., not pictured, on Capitol Hill in Washington, Wednesday, Sept. 30, 2020. (Anna Moneymaker/The New York Times via AP, Pool)
Justice Amy Coney Barrett was sworn in to the Supreme Court of the United States on Tuesday, Oct. 27, just eight days before the presidential election.
Eight days after the death of Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg on Sept. 18, President Trump announced his plan to nominate Barrett to fill the vacancy in the Supreme Court. Barrett first became popular among conservative Republicans while serving as a judge in the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit since 2017.
The Senate confirmation hearings began Oct. 12. The push to confirm Barrett sparked controversy as no justice has ever been confirmed this close to a presidential election. Democrats accuse Republicans of hypocrisy, referencing their eight-month block of President Barack Obama’s Supreme Court nominee in 2016.
Judge Amy Coney Barrett speaks after President Donald Trump announced Barrett as his nominee to the Supreme Court, in the Rose Garden at the White House, Saturday, Sept. 26, 2020, in Washington. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon)
“As controversial as the process may be, the President is elected to a four-year term,” said sophomore public administration major Brandon Newell. “One of the president’s powers is to appoint a Supreme Court Justice. It also wasn’t just a decision made by the president alone. The Constitution instructs that the Senate advise and approve of the nominee — which they did.”
Barrett was noted for remaining calm and collected during her three days of Senate confirmation hearings. Despite repeated questioning of her beliefs and political preferences, she did not indicate how she might rule in pending cases.
“I’ve been impressed with her careful maneuvering in the Senate confirmation hearings when in one sense, nothing she can say will help her in the views of one side, and nothing she can say will hurt her in the views of another side,” said Associate Professor of Political Science Dr. Tom Pope. “She was very careful in the Senate confirmation proceedings to be gracious to both sides and to recognize the seriousness of her position, regardless of political maneuverings that are being done with her. I think that’s really important to have as somebody who’s going to be a justice.”
Barrett, a devout Catholic, has documented her personal political preferences with writings against abortion and a previous ruling on “Obamacare.” In his floor speech on Sunday night, Senate Minority Leader Charles Schumer expressed concerns that the Democratic party has regarding Barrett’s precedent in future rulings — including those on the issues of abortion, climate change and gun control.
“The truth is, this nomination is part of a decade’s long effort to tilt the judiciary to the far-right; to accomplish through the Courts what the radical right and their allies — Senate Republicans — could never accomplish through Congress,” said Schumer.
In the face of suggestions of her bias, Barrett has repeatedly stressed that she is striving to be nonpartisan, even saying, “It’s not the law of Amy.”
“She cleverly used the Ginsburg Rule of no disclosing, so [as] to not seem partisan,” said senior Claire Kraft, political science major. “[She] probably knew her views could hurt her election, so [she] used the Ginsburg Rule to her advantage.”
Barrett was confirmed on Monday evening, Oct. 26, by a deeply divided Senate vote of 52-48. After her swearing-in on Tuesday, she began her work as a justice. Barrett is making history as the first mother of school-aged children to serve on the Supreme Court.
“I have no illusions that the road ahead of me will be easy, either for the short term or the long haul,” said Barrett at the announcement of her nomination. “I never imagined that I would find myself in this position. But now that I am, I assure you that I will meet the challenge with both humility and courage.”
