Washington Post: Trump's nomination of Amy Coney Barrett, in 3 minutes
A couple people posted about Trump filling the Supreme Court vacancy before the next election and he seems to have followed up on his word. On September 26, Judge Amy Coney Barrett accepted President Trump's nomination to succeed Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg on the Supreme Court. Trump will likely force the Senate for confirm her seat just 37 days before the election and with a 53-47 Republican majority in the Senate, Judge Barrett could skew the Supreme Court to a 6-3 conservative majority.
Judge Barrett is largely considered the complete opposite of Justice Ginsburg. While Justice Ginsburg believed in the "living, evolving Constitution," Judge Barrett believes judges should stick to the original intentions of the Constitution, reflecting the views of Justice Antonin Scalia whom she clerked for nearly twenty years ago. If confirmed, she would be the 5th woman ever on the Supreme Court. Judge Barrett has championed conservative views through nearly 100 written opinions and even more votes expressing her pro life agenda and her desire to overturn Roe vs. Wade and her disagreement with the Affordable Care Act.
Judge Barrett often emphasis the separation between courts and legislation/policy and refrained from expressing her personal views in public hearings stating "Judges are not policy makers and they must be resolute in setting aside any policy views they might hold.” Moreover, Judge Barrett asserts that Courts should not be the mechanism for social change, which ironically was a huge aspect of Justice Ginsberg's legacy. Critics are upset with the idea that during such a period of "racial awareness," Trump would pick a white woman as opposed to a person of color. Additionally, considering the checks and balances of the government, Judge Barrett's confirmation could mean that progressive bills could be blocked and certain rights could be revoked.
This will likely be one of the most important Supreme Court nominations within our lifetime so far. Judge Barrett is only 48 and, if appointed, would be the youngest judge meaning she has the potential to influence the Courts for decades to come. Her nomination will only aggravate the already polarized political atmosphere and I'm pessimistic about any bipartisanship collaboration or unity. Our only way of gaining any leverage is through voting and I urge you to do so if you are able.
New York Times Trump Selects Amy Coney Barrett to Fill Ginsburg’s Seat on the Supreme Court
Washington Post Amy Coney Barrett’s judicial record should alarm liberals
CNN (Multiple opinion pieces) Amy Coney Barrett a perfect choice for half of America
3 comments:
Like Kayla mentioned in her post, Judge Barrett is relatively young. When compared to other judges appointed to the supreme court, Barrett has less experience, which makes it slightly difficult to predict how conservative she will act. While it is true that her past has shows that she is against LGBT rights, her 3 years on a federal bench have been a mixed bag - she even went against one of President Trump’s immigration policies. While I agree that Trump should have picked a person of color, or better yet, followed the opinions of the republicans in 2016 when facing President Obama’s nomination, we should realize that this administration - actually any administration, no matter the party - will walk away from a possibility of forwarding their agenda. However, considering the fact that the Supreme Court may hold power in this year’s election (because of lawsuits over ballots), I believe that this nomination is a dirty use of the President’s power.
https://www.vox.com/21457360/amy-coney-barrett-immigration-record-trump-supreme-court
The implications of Judge Barrett's nomination are undeniably large. Due to her young age, she will remain on the Supreme Court for many years, and will undoubtably sway the court in a conservative direction for decades to come. In a disturbingly accurate statement from Politico, with Judge Barrett replacing Ruth Bater Ginsburg, the court will become the most conservative it has been since the 1950s. It is incredibly disappointing and frightening to see the years of progressive change the country has worked so hard to create over these past 70 years, and with her nomination, we will be brought back to square one. Hopefully this serves as a massive wakeup call to all citizens, and that they realize the impact of politics, whether or not they choose to actively participate in them or not. This decision requires more political involvement than ever before, and there is nothing more important than the choice to vote, use your voice and encourage others to do the same.
Judge Barrett's nomination to the Supreme Court has severe implications to our future, especially given her young age. In her past, she has a conservative voting record in her previous court cases. The main focus of the public right now is how her nomination (thus creating the 6-3 conservative to progressive ratio) could likely contribute to the overturning of Roe v Wade. In addition to this, her nomination will have a long lasting impact on immigration, gun rights, environmental protection, discrimination, etc. It's so upsetting knowing that our basic human rights will be taken away by a decision that had little to no public input. I saw a white house petition going around protesting the replacement of Ruth Bader Ginsburg's seat, and its goal is to receive 100K signatures before it can make a significant impact. I am curious to see how this petition will affect the nomination process and I'm optimistic & hopeful that the seat will remain empty until a new president is elected, like Ruth Bader Ginsburg wished for. This serves as just another wake up call for everyone who is eligible to go vote and make a positive difference in our community.
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