( ENSPIRE News ) President Trump Announced Nomination of Judge Amy Coney Barrett To Fill The Empty Supreme Court Seat
ENSPIRE Contributor: Elizabeth Casillas
During Saturday’s Rose Garden Ceremony, President Donald Trump announced his nomination of Judge Amy Coney Barrett to fill the Supreme Court seat left vacant by the late Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg.
Barrett served as Justice Antonin Scalia’s clerk, and her beliefs are a direct reflection of those he once held. “His judicial philosophy is mine, too,” Judge Barrett asserted during the ceremony.
A devoted Roman Catholic, Barrett also believes in an originalist view of the Constitution, meaning the Constitution should be interpreted based on the beliefs and worldviews of the original authors. Her belief held especially true in 2008 when the Supreme Court ruled the Constitution grants the right to own a gun, and Justice Scalia added some exceptions, such as felons not being allowed a gun. When this decision made its way to Barrett, she dissented, claiming the Supreme Court did not mean to exclude felons who were not dangerous. Because of this steadfast originalism, many critics believe having Barrett on the Supreme Court could obstruct the adaptation of the Constitution to present times.
Barrett became a Federal Judge in 2017 when Trump nominated her to the Chicago-based 7th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals. When she started this position, many politicians questioned how her beliefs and political ideologies would reflect on her cases. As of 2020, Barrett has relied heavily on historical texts to make her arguments and pick apart the arguments of others. Throughout her career in law, she has shown her steadfast devotion to traditional norms and regulations.
One such example is in a 2017 case of abortions in Indiana. When Indiana was trying to pass a law effectively making abortions illegal in their state, Barrett dissented and made it clear that she believed that law was “anti-eugenics law.” If Barrett had a majority backing her decision, it would have made abortions impossible to obtain in the state of Indiana. This issue brings up the topic of Roe v. Wade, the landmark decision that passed only by one vote.
Having a 6th conservative justice on the Supreme Court could drastically change the outcomes of many important decisions, and it could spiral the United States into a different political climate.
