Photo via politico.com
By Robin Wright ’22
In lieu of Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsberg’s death, President Trump appointed Amy Coney Barrett to the Supreme Court. Her nomination has been stained with the controversy of her replacing Justice Ginsberg so soon after her death and in this crucial time before the election. Aside from the conflation of her with this U.S crucible, there are policies and facets of her character that are raising inquiry and concerning the left.
She was born and raised in New Orleans. She went on to attend Rhodes College and Notre Dame Law School on a full-tuition scholarship. In the early years of her career, she worked as a law clerk for Justice Anton Scalia, then went into private practice focusing on litigation for two years. After her brief legal practice, she began teaching at George Washington Law School. In 2017, she began to serve on the 7th circuit U.S. Court of the Appeals, until September 26, 2020, when she was nominated for the Supreme Court at the young age of 48, which stands in contrast to most of the justices being that they are primarily above 60 years of age.
I state, with neither enthusiasm nor calumny, that she is the paragon and embodiment of modern conservative values and legal views. She has purported herself as an originalist and laid out plans to undo some of Justice Ginsberg’s crucial decisions such as Roe v.Wade. In fact, she stands in diametrical opposition to her predecessor on most key issues such as gun control, the environment, and criminal procedure.
Another aspect of her gaining traction is her religious group titled “People Of Praise.” Democrats are concerned that this unconventional religious group will influence her, while Conservatives believe that this is a matter concerning the separation of church and state and that critics should be given little credence. Barrett has been caught in a storm of controversy and due to this, so it is hard to judge her career and skill set objectively. In time as her tenure on the Supreme Court lengthens we will have a more comprehensive understanding of both her and her ideologies.
