US PRESIDENT DONALD Trump has nominated Judge Amy Coney Barrett to the Supreme Court to replace the late Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg, his third such nomination.
“Professor Barrett is a woman of remarkable intellect and character. She is eminently qualified for the job, and I can tell you that,” Trump said at a press conference in the Rose Garden, calling her ”one of the most brilliant and gifted legal minds”.
Within hours of Ginsburg’s death, Trump made clear his intention to nominate a woman in her place, saying this evening that his Supreme Court pick will have a “very quick” confirmation
It is likely that the Republican-majority Senate will approve Barrett’s nomination, despite the small number of wavering GOP senators.
If the 48-year-old federal appeals court judge is confirmed, her lifetime appointment would consolidate a conservative majority in the country’s top court, possibly for decades to come.
Trump said he was sure her confirmation would be “extremely non-controversial” and “very quick”.
“Her qualifications are unsurpassed, unsurpassed and her record is beyond reproach. It should be a straightforward and prompt confirmation. Good luck. It’s gonna be very quick,” he said.
For the last three years, Judge Barrett has served with immense distinction on the federal bench. Amy is more than a stellar scholar and judge; she is also a profoundly devoted mother. Her family is a core part of who Amy is. She opened her home and her heart, and adopted two beautiful children from Haiti. Her incredible bond with her youngest child, a son with Down Syndrome, is a true inspiration.
“If confirmed, Justice Barrett will make history as the first mother of school-aged children ever to serve on the US Supreme Court. That’s good.”
Barrett said she was “truly humbled” by the prospect of serving on the court.
“Should I be confirmed. I will be mindful of who came before me, she said, acknowledging the recent passing of Justice Ginsburg.
“Justice Ginsburg began her career at a time when women were not welcome in the legal profession. But she not only broke the glass ceiling she smashed them and for that she has won the admiration of women across the country. And indeed, all over the world.”
If confirmed, she said she would not “assume that role for the sake of those in my own circle, and certainly not for my own sake, I would assume this role to serve you [the American people]“.
“I would discharge the judicial oath, which requires me to administer justice without respect to persons do equal rights to the poor and rich and faithfully and impartially discharge my duties, under the United States Constitution.
“I have no illusions that the road ahead of me will be easy, either for the short term or the long haul. I never imagined that I would find myself in this position. But now that I am, I assure you that I will meet the challenge with both humility and courage.”
A fervently anti-abortion Catholic and an academic, Barrett has been praised for her well-thought-out arguments but has limited experience in the courtroom. She has only been a federal judge since 2017, when she was appointed by Trump.
She grew up in a New Orleans suburb and attended Catholic girls’ school before graduating magna cum laude from Rhodes College in Tennessee and then earning her law degree at Notre Dame University, where she was editor of the law review and graduated at the top of her class.
She was a law clerk to Justice Antonin Scalia, a conservative pillar of the Supreme Court until his death in February 2016.
In law journals, Barrett has professed opinions heavily influenced, according to her critics, by traditional religious values.
Liberal groups have strongly opposed Trump’s push to rush through a conservative appointment. Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden and his vice-presidential running mate, Senator Kamala Harris both quickly voiced their disapproval of tonight’s announcement.
Biden urged the US Senate not to confirm Barrett before November’s election.
“The Senate should not act on this vacancy until after the American people select their next president and the next Congress,” Biden said in a statement.
Barrett is “a jurist with a written track record of disagreeing with the Court’s decision to uphold the Affordable Care Act,” he said, referencing the healthcare plan that was adopted when he was vice president – also known as Obamacare.
“Trump has been trying to throw out the Affordable Care Act for four years. Republicans have been trying to end it for a decade. Twice, the US Supreme Court upheld the law as constitutional.
“But even now, in the midst of a global health pandemic, the Trump Administration is asking the US Supreme Court to overturn the entire law, including its protections for people with pre-existing conditions,” Biden said.
Harris tweeted that she “strongly opposes” Barrett’s nomination.
“Trump’s hand-picked successor to Justice Ginsburg’s seat makes it clear: they intend to destroy the Affordable Care Act & overturn Roe. This selection would move the court further right for a generation & harm millions of Americans.”
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