When Donald Trump nominated Brett Kavanaugh to the Supreme Court, I remember telling friends that it was a terrible move. Not because I had any problem with Kavanaugh, but because I was 100% sure that in the #MeToo moment with the future of Roe v. Wade possibly at stake, the Democrats would absolutely launch an allegation of sexual assault at Kavanaugh as a way of derailing the nomination. Sure enough, the Democrats came at him with everything they could, desperately chucking anything they could get their hands on—even allegations of gang rape. Next time, many pro-life leaders noted, Trump should play it safe and nominate a woman—preferably Amy Coney Barrett.
If you haven’t heard of Barrett, here’s how the Associated Press described her in an article titled “High court front-runner hailed by right, feared by left”:
A front-runner to fill the Supreme Court seat vacated by the death of Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg is a federal appellate judge who has established herself as a reliable conservative on hot-button legal issues from abortion to gun control. Amy Coney Barrett, a devout Catholic, is hailed by religious conservatives and others on the right as an ideological heir to conservative icon Antonin Scalia, the late Supreme Court justice for whom she clerked. Barrett met with Trump at the White House on Monday, according a person familiar with the vetting process who spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity.
Liberals say Barrett’s legal views are too heavily influenced by her religious beliefs and fear her ascent to the nation’s highest court could lead to a scaling back of hard-fought abortion rights. She also would replace the justice who is best-known for fighting for women’s rights and equality.
President Donald Trump has said he’ll nominate a woman and Barrett is thought to be at the top of his list of favorites. The Chicago-based 7th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals judge was considered a finalist in 2018 for Trump’s second nomination to the high court, which eventually went to Brett Kavanaugh after Justice Anthony Kennedy retired. Barrett’s selection now could help Trump energize his base weeks before Election Day. At just 48, Barrett would be the youngest justice and her tenure could last for decades. She’s made her mark in law primarily as an academic at the University of Notre Dame, where she began teaching at age 30. She first donned judges’ robes in 2017 after Trump nominated her to the 7th Circuit.
Yesterday morning I had an interview scheduled with Marjorie Dannenfelser, the president of the Susan B. Anthony List (I reviewed her bookLife is Winning for The American Conservative and was planning to record a podcast on the same subject for LifeSiteNews), but she had to cancel at the last minute to take a call with President Trump to discuss the Supreme Court vacancy. The SBA List let it be know that they saw Barrett as the best option. News reports indicate that she is at the top of Trump’s shortlist, and she was spotted visiting the White House yesterday. It seems increasingly likely that she will be Trump’s nominee (which will apparently be announced on Friday.) Replacing Ruth Bader Ginsburg with a female pro-lifer and mother of seven, it goes without saying, will render the Left apoplectic.
We still aren’t sure if Mitch McConnell has the votes to get Ruth Bader Ginsburg’s replacement confirmed. The two pro-abortion GOP senators, Susan Collins and Lisa Murkowski, have already indicated that they do not support a vote on the senate floor prior to the election. Mitt Romney, however, has now indicated that he supports a floor vote on a Trump SCOTUS nominee—and according to Politico, that means McConnell has the votes. So there may be a possibility that Ruth Bader Ginsburg’s seat is filled by a female pro-life justice before the beginning of November. In the meantime, there is going to be straight savagery from the Left directed at Barrett (or whoever the nominee ends up being.) It is going to be beyond ugly—but it might just happen.
