As President Trump’s list of potential candidates for the next Supreme Court justice gets smaller, it seems that progressive attacks on the picks are only getting louder. One judge that has made it to President Trump’s shortlist is Amy Coney Barrett, a federal appeals court judge on the seventh circuit (within whom “the dogma lives loudly“).
After Justice Anthony Kennedy announced his retirement last month, the country’s attention turned to President Trump as he will nominate Kennedy’s replacement.
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President Trump announced that he will be picking from the same list that he formulated last year when seeking to fill the late Justice Antonin Scalia’s seat.
In case you needed a reminder of how bad the anti-Christianity rhetoric in the United States is getting, look no further than the possible nomination of Barrett, a Catholic mom of seven.
She has appeared in the Columbia, Virginia, and Texas law reviews and held an appellate-court clerkship as well as a Supreme Court clerkship with Justice Scalia, worked at an elite law firm, taught at the Notre Dame Law School and now works as a federal judge on the Seventh Court of Appeals.
As David French noted last week in National Review, Barrett is “a young, brilliant woman at the apex of her profession.”
But despite her impeccable track record, progressive left objects to her nomination due to one thing: Amy Coney Barrett is a devout Catholic.
Many leaders in the Democrat caucus have critiqued Barret over the years.
Last year during a Senate Judiciary Committee hearing for Barrett, Sen. Diane Feinstein (D-Calif.), criticized her for being too religious.
Feinstein stated:
“Why is it that so many of us on this side have this very uncomfortable feeling that — you know, dogma and law are two different things. And I think whatever a religion is, it has its own dogma. The law is totally different.
I think in your case, professor, when you read your speeches, the conclusion one draws is that the dogma lives loudly within you, and that’s of concern when you come to big issues that large numbers of people have fought for years in this country.”
Many others slammed Barrett for her faith, arguing that she makes decisions based on her faith and not the law.
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Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) has also recently criticized Barrett for her faith, suggesting that her beliefs on abortion are unacceptable.
Schumer even took to Twitter to express his concerns about her possible nomination:
“Amy Coney Barrett is a judge on the Court of Appeals for the 7th Circuit & on @realDonaldTrump’s pre-approved list for SCOTUS,” he wrote. “She passed his ‘litmus test’ on overturning Roe v. Wade & striking down the ACA. Here’s where she stands on Americans’ big issues.”
Amy Coney Barrett is a judge on the Court of Appeals for the 7th Circuit & on @realDonaldTrump’s pre-approved list for SCOTUS. She passed his “litmus test” on overturning Roe v. Wade & striking down the ACA. Here’s where she stands on Americans' big issues:
— Chuck Schumer (@SenSchumer) July 2, 2018
Schumer added in following tweets that Barrett would be a terrible pick due to the fact that she attacked The Affordable Care Act (also known as Obamacare) and believes that Roe v. Wade should be reconsidered.
NARAL, an abortion advocacy group, also added a tweet to the mix: “Amy Coney Barrett has been perfectly clear — she wants to overturn #RoevWade. She also belongs to a group that both refers to women as ‘handmaids’ (no, we’re not joking) & believes that husbands are in charge of their wives. She’s on Trump’s #SCOTUS shortlist. #WhatsAtStake.”
Amy Coney Barrett has been perfectly clear—she wants to overturn #RoevWade. She also belongs to a group that both refers to women as “handmaids” (no, we're not joking) & believes that husbands are in charge of their wives. She's on Trump's #SCOTUS shortlist. #WhatsAtStake pic.twitter.com/96K2hzyi0u
— NARAL (@NARAL) July 2, 2018
In fact, Barrett’s stance on Roe v. Wade is much more nuanced than many progressives have made it out to be.
In a speech Barrett gave at Notre Dame on the 40th anniversary of Roe v. Wade, she declared it “very unlikely” the court will ever overturn Roe’s core protection of abortion rights, according to the Indianapolis Star.
“The fundamental element, that the woman has a right to choose abortion, will probably stand,” the student newspaper The Observer quoted Barrett saying. “The controversy right now is about funding. It’s a question of whether abortions will be publicly or privately funded.”
It’s not just Democratic leadership that is attacking Barrett, but also many in the academic world around the world.
Richard Painter, a law professor at the University of Minnesota, voiced his opinions on Twitter: “A religious group in which members take an oath of loyalty to each other and are supervised by a male ‘head’ or female ‘handmaiden.’ That looks like a cult. Now she wants a seat on SCOTUS for the sole purpose of overturning Roe v. Wade. The answer is NO.”
A religious group in which members take an oath of loyalty to each other and are supervised by a male “head” or female “handmaiden.” That looks like a cult. Now she wants a seat on SCOTUS for the sole purpose of overturning Roe v. Wade. The answer is NO.https://t.co/i3lb7nVJPU
— Richard W. Painter (@RWPUSA) June 30, 2018
The Catholic group that Painter attacked so uncharitably was The People of Praise, a well-established community that has founded three schools and has won seven Blue Ribbon awards.
The late Cardinal Francis George wrote, “In my acquaintance with the People of Praise, I have found men and women dedicated to God and eager to seek and do His divine will. They are shaped by love of Holy Scripture, prayer and community; and the Church’s mission is richer for their presence.”
Aside from receiving praise from the late Cardinal George, the group also had a member appointed by Pope Francis as the auxiliary bishop of Portland.
Norm Eisen, a fellow at the Brookings Institute, also cast suspicion on Barrett’s membership, calling the People of Praise a “secretive religious cult.”
@RWPUSA is right to ask hard questions about Amy Coney Barrett and her secretive religious cult People of Praise (featuring, yes, “handmaidens”) and whether Barrett would vote to overturn Roe. Based on what we know she would do that—and much more. https://t.co/cqEoDh1rDt
— Norm Eisen (@NormEisen) July 1, 2018
In his piece last week, David French noted that there is a growing “God gap” in political America.
“It turns out that she’s a faithful Christian who lives a Christian life very similar to the lives of millions upon millions of her fellow American believers,” he wrote.
Progressive political leaders are aware of this, and it terrifies them.
According to a recent CBS News report, Judge Barrett and D.C. Circuit Court Judge Brett Kavanaugh are the two leading contenders for the SCOTUS nomination.
Although Kavanaugh is a conservative who was nominated by former President George W. Bush, his position on overturning Roe v. Wade has not been made clear.
President Trump has mentioned that he “probably won’t” ask his possible nominees about their opinions on overturning Roe. He will announce his selection this evening at 9 p.m.
(H/T: The Christian Post)