Amy Coney Barrett: Could She Forge Our Future?

Drew Angerer, Associated Press

Amy Coney Barrett stands her ground during the tedious confirmation hearings.

Following the death of Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg, President Donald Trump nominated federal judge Amy Coney Barrett to take her seat. This strong Catholic woman has been drawing a lot of controversy surrounding her confirmation, but she remains steadfast in her views.

Nominated just eight days after Justice Ginsburg’s passing, Judge Barrett has undergone four days of high-pressure, high-stakes confirmation hearings by a committee of 22 Senators. She was grilled about her different views on different topics including the election, Roe vs. Wade and the Affordable Care Act.

Barrett remained calm under the scrutiny, not giving her opinion on any hypothetical or already ruled-on cases. She repeatedly stated that it was not her job to make the law—it was to interpret it, no matter her opinions.

According to a recent Politico poll, a majority of voters supported the judge being confirmed. The confirmation vote for the full Senate is planned to take place on Monday, October 26. However, this is subject to change as some Democratic senators are attempting to delay the vote until after the election.

Many Democrats, and even a few Republicans, don’t support swearing in a new justice so close to a presidential election. They prefer to respect the late Justice Ginsburg’s dying wish for the new justice to be appointed after the next president is in office.

Supporters of Barrett’s confirmation state that it is a constitutional right, and previous presidents have also attempted to appoint justices close to an election.

Whether you agree with the confirmation hearings or not, very few people dislike Judge Barrett. She is an alumnus of Notre Dame, a practicing Catholic and a mother of seven kids—two of which are adopted from Haiti. She was a professor at Notre Dame, worked with former Supreme Court justice Antonin Scalia and served on the bench of the US Court of Appeals.

“[She is] a woman of unparalleled achievement, towering intellect, sterling credentials, and unyielding loyalty to the Constitution,” President Trump said.

It is likely that Barrett will be approved by a sweeping majority of the Senate, but who knows what our political future holds.