The Senate Judiciary Committee voted this morning on the nomination of Amy Coney Barrett to the Supreme Court. As expected, her nomination passed on a 12-0 vote. (The tally was lopsided because Democrats on the committee boycotted the vote to protest the sham process.) It will now move to the floor of the full Senate, with a final confirmation vote expected on Monday.
It’s not too late to call your senators and urge them to vote against Barrett. As Americans United noted in an in-depth report on Barrett (which we’ve continued to update as more information about her record has become available), she’s hostile to church-state separation, and giving her a lifetime seat on the nation’s highest court would place the rights of women, members of the LGBTQ community, non-Christians, non-believers and others in jeopardy.
During her confirmation hearings, Barrett described the late Justice Antonin Scalia, a vociferous opponent of church-state separation, as her inspiration and mentor. She also expressed support for finding a way to “better organize” the religious freedom provisions of the First Amendment – another way of saying rewrite them. AU’s report contains many other examples that document Barrett’s dangerous views on separation of religion and government.
Not only is Barrett the wrong choice for the Supreme Court, but the Senate is rushing ahead with this sham process to confirm her when we’re in the midst of a presidential election. The Senate should let the American people decide what type of justice they want on the Supreme Court and not confirm anyone until the next presidential term begins in January.
Please contact your senators and tell them to oppose Barrett’s nomination.
Photo: Screenshot from C-SPAN
