It’s Amy
AP reports:
President Donald Trump nominated Judge Amy Coney Barrett to the Supreme Court on Saturday, capping a dramatic reshaping of the federal judiciary that will resonate for a generation and that he hopes will provide a needed boost to his reelection effort.
Barrett, a former clerk to the late Justice Antonin Scalia, said she was “truly humbled” by the nomination and quickly aligned herself with Scalia’s conservative approach to the law, saying his “judicial philosophy is mine, too.”
Barrett, 48, was joined in the Rose Garden by her husband and seven children. If confirmed by the Senate, she would fill the seat vacated by liberal icon Ruth Bader Ginsburg. It would be the sharpest ideological swing since Clarence Thomas replaced Justice Thurgood Marshall nearly three decades ago.
On current life expectancy Barrett would serve 35 years on the Supreme Court, if confirmed.
Some facts about Barrett:
- Has six younger siblings
- Grew up in New Orleans
- Graduated 1st in her law school class at Notre Dame
- Clerked for Justice Scalia
- Like Scalia, she is an originalist – meaning she interprets the constitution based on what would have been the original meaning of the text when it was ratified
- Was Professor of Law at Notre Dame and three times received Distinguished Professor of the Year awards
- Appointed to 7th Circuit Court of Appeals in 2017
- Her 7th circuit appointment attracted letters of support from all 49 faculty colleagues
- Has seven children herself, including one with Down Syndrome