Amy Coney Barret Confirmed to the Supreme Court

On October 26th, 2020 Amy Coney Barrett was confirmed to the Supreme Court after being nominated to replace Ruth Bader Ginsberg by President Donald Trump. 

Justice Amy Coney Barret was born on January 28th, 1972 in New Orleans Louisiana. She grew up to study law at The University of Notre Dame in Indiana and graduated in 1997. She then clerked for Judge Laurence Silberman and Supreme Court Associate Justice Antonin Scalia from 1998 to 1999. After clerking, she moved on to practice law in Washington D.C from 1999 to 2002. Later on from 2017 to 2020, she became a federal judge on the United States Court of Appeals for the 7th Circuit. Recently, on October 27th, 2020 she was confirmed to the supreme court with 52 votes in favor and 48 opposing votes. The votes were almost unanimously split, with every Democratic Senator voting against her confirmation, and all except one Republican Senator voting in her favor. She is currently living in South Bend, Indiana with her husband, Jesse Barrett, and her seven children. She is a self-described Devout Catholic and consistently votes leaning to the right. 

Amy Coney Barrett is an originalist, meaning that she believes that the constitution should be taken as-is and not adjusted for the current time. Surrounding gun rights, she believes that the constitution states that Americans have a guaranteed right to own firearms, as the constitution stated when written. She also stated that felons should not be banned from owning firearms, only those who are dangerous should lose their right to firearms.

 Recently, Amy Coney Barrett’s views on LGBT+ rights have come under fire after using the phrase “sexual preference” to describe members of the LGBT+ community which some interpreted to imply that she believes LGBT+ people choose their sexuality. She later apologized for her phrasing and stated “I certainly didn’t mean and would never mean to use a term that would cause any offense in the LGBTQ community.” She had previously refused to comment on the case Obergefell v. Hodges which ruled gay marriage officially recognized and legal in the United States. She then later stated that her refusal to comment does not convey disagreement with the ruling, rather that she believed it inappropriate for her to comment. However, Amy Coney Barrett is a member of the Christian group People of Praise which has specifically anti LGBT+ beliefs and policies, expells LGBT+ members, and opposes gay marriage. Amy Coney Barrett is a leader of the group and was on the school board of private Christian schools run by the group which barred the admission of children of same-sex couples and had openly anti-LGBT+ policies. 

Right now, the future of gun control and LGBT+ rights are unsure now that the Supreme Court has a 6-3 Republican to Democrat majority. Soon, the Supreme Court will hear a case that will decide if an adoption agency is allowed to bar same-sex couples from adopting children. If the supreme court rules in favor of the agency, this could open doors for legal discrimination against LGBT+ people in the future. Either way, the confirmation of Amy Coney Barrett to the Supreme Court will cause important changes and will change the course of the country.