Church-State Separation Endangered With Amy Coney Barrett On The Supreme Court

Americans United for Separation of Church and State President and CEO Rachel Laser issued the following statement in response to Senate Republicans confirming Amy Coney Barrett to fill Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg’s seat on the U.S. Supreme Court:

“The Trump administration and Senate Republicans continued their assault on the constitutionally guaranteed right of religious freedom with the confirmation of Amy Coney Barrett to the U.S. Supreme Court. Barrett’s record, speeches, writing and professional affiliations have all demonstrated hostility to the separation of religion and government, which protects every American’s right to believe as we choose, as long as we don’t harm others. Barrett has made clear that rather than honoring Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg’s legacy, she will join Trump appointees Brett Kavanaugh and Neil Gorsuch, who along with Justices Thomas and Alito, are trying – in Barrett’s words – to ‘better organize’ religious freedom as a sword that can be used to harm others, rather than as the shield the Constitution intended it to be.

“Some senators tried to obscure Barrett’s hostility toward true religious freedom by claiming any criticism of her was an attack on her personal religious beliefs. But the criticism wasn’t of Barrett’s religion; it’s her record on church-state separation that is deeply problematic. She has shown that she would allow claims of religious freedom to be misused to harm women, LGBTQ people, religious minorities and the nonreligious, among many others. Her affiliations with organizations like Alliance Defending Freedom and the Becket Fund demonstrate that she supports cloaking a conservative political agenda in the disguise of religious freedom. 

“The U.S. Supreme Court’s duty is to protect our constitutional rights – and that certainly includes religious freedom. Americans United, the only organization dedicated solely to defending the separation of religion and government for the past 73 years, will continue to fight for an America that achieves it’s great promise of religious freedom for all.” 

For more information about Barrett’s record on church-state separation, view Americans United’s analysis here. 

Americans United is a religious freedom advocacy organization based in Washington, D.C. Founded in 1947, AU educates Americans about the importance of church-state separation in safeguarding religious freedom. Learn more at www.au.org.

(PHOTO CREDIT: Screenshot from C-SPAN.)