Who is Amy Coney Barrett, Trump’s Supreme Court nominee?

Summary

• Mr Trump’s Supreme Court nominee Amy Coney Barrett had started with her lengthy confirmation hearing on Monday.
• The main controversy surrounding Ms Barrett’s hearing is the fact it has been pushed earlier than expected. Some think that this is Mr Trump’s agenda to secure a Supreme Court vote.
• If Ms Barret gets confirmed, Obamacare project is at risk, as she believes that free healthcare is not a constitutional right.

After the tragic death of Ruth Bader Ginsburg, the Supreme Court Judge nominated by the former US President Bill Clinton, Judge Amy Coney Barrett is set to take over Ms Ginsburg’s place in the highest court in the world.

Ms Barrett’s four-day confirmation begun on Monday, 12 October, for a lifetime position as a Supreme Court Judge, the most prestigious title within the law and justice department.

The hearing itself will be remembered as the most unique out of all hearings, due to some senators not being physically present at the court. However, some senators, including Vice President candidate Kamala Harris, have decided to follow the hearing remotely, due to the coronavirus concerns.

The conservative judge wore a protective mask, and so did most other people present at the four-day confirmation hearing.

What is controversial about Ms Barrett?

Ms Barrett was nominated by the current US President Donald Trump on 26 September, which brings specific controversies on its own.  Namely, Mr Trump wanted to push Ms Barrett’s hearing before the November elections.

Mr Trump’s presidential rival, Joe Biden, together with his Democratic party, is afraid that Ms Barrett’s accelerated hearing has a hidden agenda, regarding affordable healthcare in the US, Obamacare. During the presidential debate, Mr Biden expressed his thoughts about the matter, accusing Mr Trump’s political party of abusing power.

Mr Biden recalled that Ms Barrett does not think that public healthcare is a constitutional right, hence why both he and his party have concerns about Ms Barrett’s bias about the subject. Dianne Feinstein, Senator of California, had also mentioned her fears about the future of many Americans’ healthcare.

However, in her opening prepared statement, Ms Barrett assured senators that her decisions are made purely according to the law and not her personal beliefs, as her mentor Justice Antonin Scalia taught her.

Ms Barrett expressed her gratefulness to Ms Ginsburg’s role in feminism and civil rights movement.

If senators decide to confirm Ms Barrett’s role as the Supreme Court Judge before 3 November (the election day), she will have a saying in all election-related matter. Together with the potential removal of Obamacare, that is something that Democrats are exceedingly afraid of, as it is suspicious how Republicans are pushing Ms Barrett’s hearing instead of having it in February.

Former President Barack Obama’s nominee, Merrick Garland did not have his high-court hearing in 2016 due to same grounds (the election year).

Moreover, there is a possibility that Ms Barrett’s Supreme Court acceptance could lead to expanding gun allowance and forbid the right for abortion, as well as revoking same-sex marriages.

Ms Barrett’s official confirmation would result in the 6-3 conservative dominance inside the Supreme Court in the long-term future.

Coronavirus concerns

The Democratic Party is trying to delay the process by introducing COVID-19-linked anxieties, as some senators contracted the coronavirus in the last 14 days.

Senator Mike Lee, representing Republicans, tested positive ten days ago but had appeared in the courtroom for Ms Barrett’s hearing. Another positive case, senator Thom Tillis, also a Republican, was present remotely after testing positive ten days ago. Both senators are reportedly asymptomatic.

However, the courtroom had been prepared corresponding to the strictest safety precautions – seats are placed at adequate distance and the room has a high standard of the ventilation system.

Who is Amy Coney Barret?

Ms Barret is a 48-year-old mother of seven children, involving two adopted kids from Haiti that Ms Barret and her husband Jesse adopted after the infamous earthquake on the island.

Ms Barret herself comes from a household of nine, being the seventh youngest child in the family.

Due to the confirmation process, Ms Barret’s family is now under a microscope with politicians and journalists lurking at every detail of her life. A former Democrat employee Dana Houle even stated that she wonders if Ms Barrett legally adopted her children, as there were many illegal adoptions after the earthquake, Ms Houle claims.

Republican Missouri senator Josh Hawley ‘came to the rescue’ and defended Ms Barret, saying that questioning her adoption integrity comes as a sign of raw hate, he wrote in a tweet after Ms Barret was nominated as a new Judge.

Religious background

As previously stated, Ms Barrett defines herself as a Christian, particularly a member of a small Christian community called People of Praise.

Religious conservatives have favoured Ms Barrett because of her views of life and religion. However, a Democrat Dianne Feinstein had called her out on that, stating any religious beliefs cannot drive the future Supreme Court Judge.

Some were not happy after hearing that People of Praise believe in a male dominance as being heads of the society.

To be a part of this Indiana-founded group, Ms Barrett and all other People needed to contribute with five per cent of their gross income.

The central problem Americans are currently facing is abortion rights. Since 1973, American women had a legal right to undergo an abortion, after a Roe vs Wade ruling.

Even though Ms Barret has never been publicly against abortion rights, she did say that states will probably have different restrictions regarding what abortions are constitutional, and similar.

Astonishing law education

Ms Barrett will be the youngest judge for the Supreme Court if her confirmation gets approved. She was a star student at all her universities, graduating with honours and highest distinctions.

Mr Trump had also praised Ms Barrett for being a good student during her law and justice education during the presidential debate.

Controversial elections

Ms Barret was somewhat involved in the Bush-Gore election back in 2000, as she worked for a legal firm that followed the debate.

Notably, the state of Florida had a close call on what candidate to choose, so the Supreme Court needed to decide what candidate gets the Florida vote.

This represents a problem to some Americans as Mr Trump is thought to be biased with nominating Ms Barrett for the role. The ethics board in Washington suggested that Ms Barrett should not be included in being part of the final call (if it comes to that situation) in case of any uncertainties related to Biden vs Trump elections.