The Senate Judiciary Committee begins hearings on Supreme Court nominee Amy Coney Barrrett today. Americans United has serious concerns about her views, which we outlined in this report.
Barrett’s nomination has the potential to shift the court in a right-wing direction for decades. The stakes for religious freedom and separation of church and state could not be higher.
In light of that, here are some question we’d like Barrett to answer:
* Do you believe that religious exemptions should be granted when they harm other people?
* Do you believe that public health orders can permit churches to hold mass gathering, while disallowing secular gatherings?
* Do you believe that taxpayer-funded entities should get religious exemptions that allow them to discriminate against who they serve and who they hire?
* Do you believe public schools should be allowed to sponsor prayer and other forms of religious worship?
* Do you believe that the portion of the First Amendment that bars laws “respecting an establishment of religion” applies to the states?
* Do you believe that the metaphor of a “wall of separation between church and state,” which was endorsed unanimously by the Supreme Court in 1947, is an accurate way to describe the First Amendment’s religious freedom provisions?
The American people deserve to hear a full airing of Barrett’s views. These questions are a good place to start.
Photo: A C-SPAN screenshot of Amy Coney Barrett’s appearance before the Senate Judiciary Committee in 2017.
