Grace Burks, Freshman
Amy Coney Barrett is the replacement Justice for Ruth Bader Ginsburg, a woman who spent the majority of her life fighting for women's rights, and Barrett, who has opposite viewpoints than RBG, may be alarming to some people. Amy Barrett is just 48 years old and was nominated by Donald Trump with regard to replacing the late Ruth Bader Ginsberg. Barrett is the first mother of school-aged children to serve in the Supreme Court, while also being the fifth woman to ever serve. She graduated from Notre Dame Law School in Indiana, differing from the majority of the other Supreme Court members, who all graduated from Harvard or Yale. Barrett could serve up to 3 decades in the Supreme Court. Barrett falls under the conservative side of the political spectrum, while also being extremely Catholic. Now the Supreme Court has a 6-3 leaning ratio, with six members leaning conservative, and three members who lean liberal.
During the 2016 election, Trump vowed he would appoint Justices who would overturn Roe v. Wade in the Supreme Court during his presidential term. Amy Barrett is now the third justice, following Neil Gorsuch and Brett Kavanaugh, in favor of restricting abortion rights. It was revealed that Barrett and her husband, Jesse M. Barrett, signed a 2006 newspaper ad calling for an end to "the barbaric legacy" referring to Roe v. Wade. The ad was published by an anti-abortion organization in Indiana. Barrett did not mention her signing when asked "to list all published material you have written or edited, including material published only on the Internet, regardless of whether it was published in your name, another name or anonymously." She also failed to mention that during her time as a law professor in 2013, she gave two lectures on Roe v. Wade during a seminar co-sponsored by the anti-abortion group 'Right to Life.'
Many question how she would rule on LGBTQ+ rights due to her Catholic faith, and while she has never explicitly said how she would rule, comments she has made in the past give a pretty clear perspective. Barrett referred to people in the LGBTQ+ community as having "a sexual preference", implying it is a choice. Barrett has said she shares the same philosophy as Justice Antonin Scalia, apparently meaning "a judge must apply the law as written. Judges are not policymakers and must be resolute in setting aside any policy views they may hold." However, it was reminded to her his views on same-sex marriage and his reference to the gay rights cases as the "homosexual agenda." Berrett’s response to this reminder,“I hope that you aren’t suggesting that I don’t have my own mind, or that I couldn’t think independently, or that I would just decide, like, let me see what Justice Scalia had said about this in the past because I assure you, I have my own mind,” Barrett said. She added: “I share his philosophy, but I have never said that I would always reach the same outcome as he did.”
Before Trump's nomination in 2017, Barrett had been a professor at Notre Dame Law School for fifteen years. She is a Roman Catholic, born in New Orleans. Barrett has seven kids, two being adopted from Haiti. According to many conservatives, she is exactly what the Supreme Court was missing. However, many minorities are scared for her new role and how it will affect them. So far she has been as discreet as possible regarding her religion, beliefs, and plans for her time as a Justice. Barrett will hopefully be an adequate replacement for the late Ruth Bader Ginsburg, but only time will tell.
Sources:
https://www.cnn.com/2020/10/01/us/amy-coney-barrett-fast-facts/index.html
https://time.com/5898043/amy-coney-barrett-supreme-court/
https://www.nytimes.com/2020/09/20/us/politics/supreme-court-barrett.html
https://www.detroitnews.com/story/opinion/2020/11/11/opinion-amy-coney-barrett-must-recuse-herself-election-decision/6235853002/
https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/courts_law/amy-coney-barrett-gay-rights/2020/10/24/55064586-153b-11eb-ba42-ec6a580836ed_story.html
https://www.nytimes.com/article/amy-barrett-views-issues.html
https://www.whitehouse.gov/articles/senate-confirms-amy-coney-barrett-supreme-court/
https://www.newsweek.com/amy-coney-barretts-political-views-abortion-gay-marriage-1537849
https://www.cnn.com/2020/10/27/politics/amy-coney-barrett-joins-supreme-court-unprecedented/index.html
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