President Donald Trump announced his nomination for the judge to succeed Ruth Bader Ginsburg in the Supreme Court of the United States: Conservative Justice Amy Coney Barrett. His nomination comes with just five weeks left before the presidential election on Nov. 3 and only eight days after the passing of Ginsburg.
Barrett, a practicing Catholic, a mother of seven, and a personal conviction against abortion, could boost the conservative religious electorate on which Trump relied heavily in his election four years ago. According to the newspaper The New York Times, Barrett would be part, along with her husband, of the group “People of Praise”, identified as a source of inspiration for Margaret Atwood’s novel, “The Handmaid’s Tale.”
Trump called Barrett, who was in the White House at the time of the announcement, “one of the brightest and most talented minds in our nation” on justice. Furthermore, the president also described his nomination as one of his “highest and most important duties” and a “very proud moment indeed.”
If the Senate does approve Barrett to replace the liberal Ruth Bader Ginsburg, Barrett will become the fifth woman to occupy a seat on the highest judicial body in the United States and would extend its conservative majority to 6-3.
“This is a momentous decision for a president and if the Senate does me the honor of confirming me, I pledge to discharge the responsibilities of this job to the very best of my ability,” shared Barrett. “I love the United States and I love the United States Constitution. I am truly humbled by the prospect of serving on the Supreme Court,” she finished in a statement.
The president urged the Senate to ratify the nomination and predicted that the confirmation will be “very fast.” Meanwhile, his opponent, Democratic candidate Joe Biden, called for the debate over Barrett’s candidacy to take place after the elections.
“The American people know the U.S. Supreme Court decisions affect their everyday lives. The United States Constitution was designed to give the voters one chance to have their voice heard on who serves on the Court,” Biden shared in a statement. “That moment is now and their voice should be heard. The Senate should not act on this vacancy until after the American people select their next president and the next Congress.”
