Women leaders are applauding President Donald Trump for nominating to the U.S. Supreme Court Judge Amy Coney Barrett, a constitutional scholar who, they say, will serve as a “role model for women and girls across the country.”
Barrett is not only esteemed as a “brilliant” constitutional scholar, but also for her “magnanimous heart,” said Maureen Ferguson, senior fellow for The Catholic Association:
Americans will get to know an extraordinary woman – a principled and independent judge, a loving mother. She is a professional woman of the highest caliber, and Democrats in the upcoming hearings would do well to recognize her legal accomplishments and examine her record fairly, rather than attack her faith as they did during her confirmation to the Seventh Circuit.
As Amy Howe wrote at SCOTUSblog, Barrett received praise when Trump nominated her in 2017 to the Chicago-based U.S. Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit:
A group of 450 former students signed a letter to the Senate Judiciary Committee, telling senators that their support was “driven not by politics, but by the belief that Professor Barrett is supremely qualified.” And she had the unanimous support of her 49 Notre Dame colleagues, who wrote that they had a “wide range of political views” but were “united however in our judgment about Amy.”
“She is a highly gifted jurist and a woman of great accomplishment – a role model for women and girls across the country – and she deserves a vote as expeditiously as possible,” Jeanne Mancini, president of March for Life, said in a statement.
The pro-life leader said Barrett’s nomination is “welcome and exciting news for everyone who values the rule of law and our constitutional rights.”
Observing that American pro-life leaders are quite familiar with the “danger” associated with “activist judges,” Mancini said they are confident she “will fairly apply the law and constitution as written, which includes protecting the most vulnerable in our nation: our unborn children.”
Dr. Grazie Christie, a policy advisor for The Catholic Association, said Barrett will be, “like her predecessor, a model and an inspiration to American women for decades to come.”
“She is brilliant, accomplished, and committed to interpreting the text of the Constitution as written,” Christie added. “Her stellar record calls for a speedy and fair hearing. Democrat Senators must put aside the religious bigotry they have shown in the past.”
Tea Party Patriots Action Honorary Chairman Jenny Beth Martin said in a statement Barrett is “an outstanding jurist,” one who is “extremely qualified – both in terms of her professional experience, and in terms of her judicial philosophy.”
Martin added Barrett “will be an asset to the court as it considers landmark cases that directly bear on our Constitutional rights – from religious liberty to the Second Amendment, from healthcare to immigration.”
Marjorie Dannenfelser, president of the Susan B. Anthony List, called Barrett “an accomplished woman of bold conviction”:
Amy Barrett withstood outrageous personal attacks on her Catholic faith from pro-abortion senators with grace and integrity during her 2017 confirmation hearing. Judge Barrett has shown courage, wisdom, and brilliance during her tenure on the Seventh Circuit. Her experience and expertise make her extremely qualified to serve on the nation’s highest court.
Ashley McGuire, also a senior fellow for The Catholic Association, described Barrett as “an extraordinarily accomplished woman who deserves an expeditious vote in the Senate.”
“She has a record of fairness and independence and will defend the Constitution and our rights,” she added. “President Trump has once again fulfilled his promise to the American people. Democrats should give her a fair hearing and refrain from the bigoted attacks on her faith they employed against her before.”
Kristan Hawkins, president of Students for Life of America, noted the nation is celebrating the 100th anniversary of women having the right to vote:
One hundred years ago, women fought for the right to have a voice and a vote, and now, Judge Barrett’s nomination to the Supreme Court represents a tremendous accomplishment for all of us who have worked to make our voices heard. She will be a judicial role model for the next generation, and our team will mobilize across the country for this qualified jurist who deserves to be heard.
For too long, activist judges have used the U.S. Constitution as a blank check, to be filled in on behalf of their pet causes. Case in point: Roe v. Wade and Doe v. Bolton that created from nothing a ‘right’ to abortion and wiped out all abortion laws nationwide.
“That kind of judicial activism tears at the heart of the nation as people lose trust in the law when it can be made up as you go along,” she said.