The vote that solidified Barrett’s win was 52 to 48, just in time for Election Day. Judge Amy Coney Barrett will now be the 115th Justice of the Supreme Court.
Barrett, 48, is the mother of seven children (some of which are adopted), a member of the conservative Federalist Society and an elected member of the American Law Institute. She severed on the Unites States Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit. While serving, she was a Professor of Law at Notre Dame Law School where she not only graduated but taught civil procedure, constitutional law and statutory interpretation. Her track record as a legal professional has gained her prestigious recognition.
How Barrett identifies herself politically
Judge Barrett refers to herself as an originalist and textualist. You might ask, “What does that mean? Especially for American life and law?” An originalist, in terms of the Constitution, interprets exactly what the words meant to the Founding Fathers when they wrote it. A textualist refers directly to the words written in the law, they do not seek interpretations of what Congress may have meant. Meanwhile, her links to a conservative Christian faith group has raised concerns, as individuals question her ability to lead, free of religious beliefs.
Barrett’s rulings in the past
In one decision made by Barrett, she supported voting restrictions that were virtue-based. This means that voting is not a fundamental right guaranteed to every citizen of this country, although the constitution says it is. Barrett believes voting is a privilege that can be revoked when they see fit. She coined the late Justice Antonin Scalia’s views as her own. Scalia denounced civil rights legislations as racial entitlements. With such views, the fight for voting rights could be set back for nearly a century.
Cases to come before Barrett
Barrett, who is likely to serve for decades to come, could now give conservatives a 6 to 3 majority of issues that come before them, one of them being the Affordable Care Act, which she spoke against. There are also major and highly controversial cases awaiting Barrett, which include:
- Controversial Trump Administration cases
- Pennsylvania ballot extensions
- Wisconsin ballot counting and requests
- Minnesota Congressional Election Date
- Mississippi 15 – Week Abortion Ban Case, directly challenging Roe v. Wade.
Barrett declined to preview how she would rule on such cases as she seeks to portray herself as an independent judge without an agenda, making it hard to know how Barrett will rule on these cases. As a conservative, her replacement of Ginsburg could be America’s most ideological swings in modern court history.
The White House ‘did’ practice social distancing guidelines while Barret was being sworn in
After members of the White House task force, including the president himself, contracted the coronavirus, health experts were not confident in the event. However, the White House did enforce social distancing practices, one of the very first times that it has done so. Around 200 chairs were set a few feet from each other and every attendee was wearing a mask.
Remember to wash your hands frequently, wear a mask, and exercise your right to vote during this election.
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