Sep 29, 2020

Senator warns dems to avoid Catholic criticism of court nominee

Posted Sep 29, 2020 3:00 PM
Supreme Court nominee Amy Coney Barrett met with Vice President Pence in the Senate Majority Leader's office Tuesday morning. She is a committed Roman Catholic as well as a firm devotee of the late Justice Antonin Scaliaā€™s favored interpretation of the Constitution known as originalism. -photo courtesy White House
Supreme Court nominee Amy Coney Barrett met with Vice President Pence in the Senate Majority Leader's office Tuesday morning. She is a committed Roman Catholic as well as a firm devotee of the late Justice Antonin Scaliaā€™s favored interpretation of the Constitution known as originalism. -photo courtesy White House

WASHINGTON ā€”President Donald Trumpā€™s nominee for the Supreme Court, Amy Coney Barrett, started her tour on Capitol Hill Tuesday for meetings with Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell and other pivotal Republican senators in preparation for her fast-track confirmation before the Nov. 3 election.

Members of the Kansas and Missouri congressional delegations immediately expressed support for Barrett.

Missouri Senator Josh Hawley, who was included on the President's list of possible nominees to the court warned democrats to steer clear of Catholic-based criticism of Barrett.

The Senior Senator from Kansas Pat Roberts said, "I look forward to meeting with Judge Amy Coney Barrett, and I congratulate her on this most prestigious nomination. As a U.S. Senator, I have a responsibility to ā€˜advice and consentā€™ that I take very seriously. I hope for a fair confirmation process as the Senate moves forward with Judge Barrett's nomination.

Kansas Senator Jerry Moran wrote on social media, "Judge Amy Coney Barrett is a well-qualified nominee, having served as a clerk for Justice Scalia and distinguishing herself as a law professor at Notre Dame before receiving bipartisan support during her confirmation to the Seventh Circuit Court of Appeals. I will review Judge Barrettā€™s legal writings in the coming weeks, and I look forward to meeting with her to learn more about her views of the judicial branch and the Constitution."

Barrett, a former Notre Dame law professor and current judge on the Chicago-based 7th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals, says she is a firm supporter of the Constitution. In 2016 she said in a speech to students: "we shouldn't be putting people on the court that share our policy preferences. We should be putting people on the court who want to apply the Constitution.ā€

Senate Judiciary Committee Chair Lindsey Graham says his panel will hold four days of confirmation hearings the week of Oct. 12.

Once the committee approves the nomination, it goes to the Senate floor for a final vote. This could all happen by Nov. 3 if the process goes smoothly. Graham said he hopes the committee can move the nomination to the Senate floor by the week of Oct. 26 for a confirmation vote.