'Towering intellect, sterling credentials': Trump nominates Amy Coney Barrett of South Bend for Supreme Court

South Bend Tribune (IN)

President Trump on Saturday nominated Amy Coney Barrett, an appeals court judge and University of Notre Dame law professor, to fill Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg's seat on the U.S. Supreme Court, introducing Barrett as "one of our nation's most brilliant and gifted legal minds."

"She is a woman of unparalleled achievement, towering intellect, sterling credentials and unyielding loyalty to the Constitution," Trump said.

Barrett was joined by her husband, Jesse, and seven children, as she and Trump walked out to the Rose Garden for the announcement at 5 p.m. The family had flown from South Bend to Washington, D.C., a few hours before the event.

In a short speech after being introduced, Barrett, 48, honored Ginsburg for serving as a role model for women.

"She not only broke glass ceilings, she smashed them," Barrett said.

She also honored former Justice Antonin Scalia, for whom she clerked after law school, for his "incalculable influence" on her life. Like Scalia, Barrett is a committed Catholic as well as a devotee of his favored interpretation of the Constitution known as originalism.

Barrett in her speech noted how Scalia and Ginsburg were able to remain close friends despite disagreeing vehemently on issues.

"In both my personal and professional relationships, I strive to meet that standard," Barrett said.

She also said she shared Scalia's judicial philosophy.

"Judges are not policy makers and they must be resolute in setting aside any policy views they might hold," Barrett said.

As for her personal life, Barrett mentioned the "unwavering support" of her husband and the full life her children offer, calling them "my greatest joy."

"While I am a judge, I'm better known back home as a room parent, carpool driver and birthday party planner," she said. "When schools went remote last spring, I tried on another hat: Jesse and I became co-principals of the Barrett e-learning academy."

Looking ahead, Barrett acknowledged the challenges that face her, both during the confirmation battle in the Senate and thereafter.

"I have no illusions that the road ahead of me will be easy, either for the short term or the long haul," she said. "I assure you that I will meet the challenge with both humility and courage."

Confirmation hearings next

Barrett has served on the 7th Circuit Court of Appeals since October 2017. If confirmed, her addition to the high court would give conservatives a 6-3 majority. She would also be the second Supreme Court justice with Indiana ties. Chief Justice John Roberts spent part of his childhood in LaPorte and graduated from La Lumiere High School in 1973.

Barrett's nomination comes just over a week after Ginsburg's death and follows an intense debate over whether to vote on a nominee despite the upcoming election.

Confirmation hearings are expected to begin Oct 12. A simple majority is needed to move the nomination forward, and Republicans control the Senate 53-47.

Trump said Saturday he hoped for a "straightforward and prompt" nomination and "respectful and dignified" hearings.

Indiana's senators, both Republicans, quickly released statements praising the nomination of a fellow Hoosier.

"I've come to know Amy as an incredibly sharp legal mind, a woman of great integrity, and a dedicated mother of seven," Sen. Todd Young said in his statement. "When Americans elected President Trump to office in 2016 and expanded the Republican Senate majority in 2018, she was exactly the type of jurist they had in mind."

Both senators denounced the inquiries about Barrett's Catholic faith during her previous confirmation hearing, for the appeals court, and said her religion should have nothing to do with the review of her legal credentials.

"Though Democrats are sure to continue their misguided campaign to paint Judge Barrett as an extremist, it's clear when reviewing her record as a jurist and teacher the only thing extreme about her commitment to moral character and generosity," Sen. Mike Braun said in his statement.

Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden on Saturday repeated his argument that Ginsburg's seat should not be filled until after the November election. He also singled out the Affordable Care Act, and the fear that it would be dismantled, when referencing Barrett.

"She has a written track record of disagreeing with the U.S. Supreme Court's decision upholding the Affordable Care Act," Biden said in a statement. "She critiqued Chief Justice John Roberts' majority opinion upholding the law in 2012."

Notre Dame graduate

Originally from New Orleans, Barrett graduated from the University of Notre Dame's law school in 1997 at the top of her class. After working as a law clerk for Scalia and other federal court justices, she returned to her alma mater in 2002 to teach law.

Barrett and her husband, Jesse, also a Notre Dame law graduate, have raised their seven children in South Bend, including two adopted from Haiti.

She has drawn praise from fellow Notre Dame professors and students for serving as a mentor, offering insightful analysis of legal issues and encouraging debate in classes. In a statement last week, Notre Dame's president, the Rev. John Jenkins, said Barrett's "impressive intellect, character and temperament" would serve her "well as a nominee for the nation's highest court."

Democrats have denounced Barrett as an ideologue who wants to end abortion rights and promote corporate interests, while Republicans have hailed her as a model of judicial restraint who already has the votes needed for a quick confirmation.

Barrett has a strong conservative record and authored more than 100 opinions on cases that have come to her desk from across the Midwest during her tenure with the appeals court.

In a case from June 2020, she was the only person on a three-judge panel who supported allowing federal enforcement of Trump's public charge immigration law in Illinois, which prevents immigrants from getting legal residency in the United States if they rely on public benefits like food stamps or housing vouchers.

She also called for the re-hearing of a case that struck down former Indiana Gov. Mike Pence's 2016 abortion law, which prohibited abortions if the fetus was disabled.

Barrett became a frontrunner on Trump's list of potential nominees after her 2017 confirmation hearing for a seat on the U.S. Court of Appeals, when Democrats cited her deep Catholic faith not as an advantage but a potential obstacle.

During the confirmation hearing, California Sen. Dianne Feinstein questioned whether or not Barrett could separate her religious faith from her duty as a judge. Barrett insisted that her professional beliefs and her religious beliefs would be kept separate. She was confirmed, 55-43.

Barrett has written that Supreme Court precedents are not sacrosanct, which liberals have interpreted as a threat to the 1973 Roe v. Wade decision legalizing abortion nationwide, according to USA Today.

She has also been associated with a religious group called People of Praise, which formed in South Bend in the 1970s and has been scrutinized for the influence over its members' personal lives. Leaders of the group say they mostly function as a support network for their members and deny having any influence over the decisions of members in positions of power, like Barrett.

Trump previously considered Barrett to fill Justice Anthony M. Kennedy's seat on the Supreme Court in 2018 before ultimately nominating Justice Brett Kavanaugh.

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