Although he is at risk of being voted out of office in just 38 days, Donald Trump has chosen his new Supreme Court Nominee. Here are 7 things she has said or done that might predict the type of justice she might be if confirmed by the Senate.
She serves on the US Circuit Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit.
In other words, Barrett currently holds chair as a federal judge in Chicago. The Court of Appeals reviews appellate cases, meaning they have already been decided, but the Plaintiff wants to try again in a higher court for a different result.
2. She plans to uphold the precedent of monumental Supreme Court cases on LGBT rights.
During the process of her 2017 nomination to the US Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit, Amy Coney Barrett was asked if she planned to uphold the precedent of several landmark Supreme Court cases regarding LGBTQ+ civil liberties. One of them is Pavan vs Smith (2017), where the Supreme Court asserted that same-sex couples are allowed to have both names of the couple on their child's birth certificate. Barrett also pledged to follow the precedent of Obergefell vs Hodges, which legalized same-sex marriage in all 50 states.
3. Barrett admires the work Justice Scalia, Justice Kagan, and Chief Justice Roberts.
Barrett worked as a law clerk for Justice Antonin Scalia. She has also described how she admired Chief Justice Roberts for his "commitment to consensus and collegiality", Justice Elena Kagan for "the way in which she is able to bring the knowledge and skill she acquired as an academic to the practical resolution of disputes"
4. Barrett is personally against abortion.
In her book Catholic Judges in Catholic Cases, she recounted that "abortion… is always immoral". However, she said in her 2017 nomination to the US Circuit Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit that her personal and religious beliefs on abortion would not impact her decisions as a judge.
5. She believes in extending the right to bear arms to non-violent felons.
In Karr vs. Banter (2019), the Seventh Circuit judges reaffirmed in a 2-1 vote that felons cannot possess firearms, even if they are non violent. Barrett was the only judge who dissented. She argued that while the 2nd amendment does ban guns from dangerous people, Barrett argued that non-violent felons are not dangerous and therefore should be allowed to possess firearms.
6. Barrett has been critical of the Affordable Care Act
Barrett has signed a petition that argued, "The simple fact is that the Obama administration is compelling religious people and institutions who are employers to purchase a health insurance contract that provides abortion-inducing drugs, contraception, and sterilization. This is a grave violation of religious freedom and cannot stand."
7. She has voted in favor of Trump’s immigration policies.
In 2019, the Seventh Circuit judges upheld a decision that blocked enforcement in Illinois of Donald Trump's policy that added barriers for green card attainment if the immigrant would rely on public benefits. Once again, Barrett was the only judge with a dissenting opinion. According to Barrett, "Contrary to popular perception, the force of the rule does not fall on immigrants who have received benefits in the past. Rather, it falls on nonimmigrant visa holders who, if granted a green card, would become eligible for benefits in the future."
