Born on Jan. 28, 1972 in New Orleans, Louisiana, this woman is no ordinary person. She graduated first in her class from Notre Dame Law School and is famous for her stances on the questions of abortion and immigration. She is Amy Vivian Coney Barrett, the new appointee to the United States Supreme Court by President Donald J. Trump.
Her controversial opinions reflect her life experiences and who she is. Barrett graduated from Rhodes College in Tennessee in 1994 with a degree in English literature. She then went on to study at Notre Dame Law school, graduating in 1997. During this time, she was also a law clerk in the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit for judge Laurence Silberman through 1998 and then for the U.S. Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia from 1998 to 1999, whom she called an “incalculable influence” in her life.
Amy Coney Barrett got married to Jesse M. Barrett, a fellow Notre Dame School graduate, in 1999. Today, the couple are parents to seven children, two of which are adopted from Haiti and one of which has Down Syndrome. She is known for having conservative beliefs that stem from her Catholic affiliation and is a former member of an organization called People of Praise, which also includes other branches of Christianity and, in broad terms, aims to lead a simple and honest life in the name of God.
She makes it a point to interpret the constitution through the originalist framework, which analyzes the constitution through the mindset of the founding fathers over 200 years ago. Based on her track record, she fits the characteristics that President Trump is looking to implement in the Supreme Court during his term in office. After teaching law and being published in academic journals, Barrett was nominated to the United States Court of Appeals for the Seventh District back in 2017 where her opinions in matters such as immigration, the second amendment and title nine are quite notable.
After long talks and numerous rumors, on Sep. 26, 2020, President Donald Trump formally nominated Amy Coney Barrett for U.S. Supreme Court Justice. She makes a controversial choice because, in many ways, she is the opposite of liberal icon Ruth Bader Ginsburg, whom she would be replacing. Her recent nomination makes for a six to three conservative majority in the supreme court, with the potential to overturn landmark cases such as Roe v. Wade.
Many Americans have noted that this is a controversial choice because the current president did not follow the precedent set back in 2016 when the then-president Barack Obama did not appoint a new Supreme Court Justice because it was an election year. When President Trump took office, he finally appointed Justice Neil Gorsuch, making Barrett his third appointee during his term in office.
Although this nomination has caused some controversy, there is no question that Amy Coney Barrett is an accomplished woman and prepared for the role of Supreme Court Justice. Her input as a conservative woman may bring many changes to the Supreme Court and consequently to the fabric of American society. For now, we will have to wait and see.
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