Seven women from the United States Senate praised President Donald Trump’s Supreme Court nominee Amy Coney Barrett for her ability to do it all as an accomplished professor, judge, wife, and mother of seven children.
The senators held a press conference on Wednesday to sing Barrett’s praises as the Senate prepares for confirmation hearings and a vote Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) has said will take place before the November 3 election.
“I have total confidence in her,” Cindy Hyde-Smith (R-MS) said at the press conference. “I think she will be an amazing addition to the court.”
“It’s going to be a tough process, but women are just naturally strong,” Hyde-Smith said.
”Folks, this is what a mom can do,” Joni Ernst (R-IA) said as she discussed Barrett’s personal and professional accomplishments.
“Honestly I am in awe,” Shelley Moore Capito (R-WV) said. “As a mother myself of three and now a grandmother of seven – if I get all seven of my grandchildren in a room together I can only last about half an hour.”
Barrett, 48, currently is a judge on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit. Before that, she was a law professor at her alma mater Notre Dame law school and also clerked for the late Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia.
Capito said the Senate should “be rejoicing … that we have an accomplished woman to consider and that we have a role model for our girls, our daughters, and our granddaughters.”
At the press conference, the senators expressed hope that the confirmation process would be fair and that the predictions of attacks on Barrett because of her Catholic faith would not pan out.
Senators Marsha Blackburn (R-TN), Kelly Loeffler (R-GA), Martha McSally (R-AZ), and Deb Fischer (R-NE) also took part in the press conference.
Barrett has been making the rounds on Capitol Hill to meet with senators, but, so far, no Democrats have said they will meet with the nominee.
The Senate Judiciary Committee announced October 12 as the date for the start of the hearing process.
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