After 3 long days of hearings, Judge Amy Coney Barrett has emerged as one of the most brilliant Supreme Court nominees in recent history. Former Judiciary Committee Counsel Greg Nunziata and current TV Commentator argued:
ACB turned in one of the best hearing performances of 21st century Supreme Court nominees.
— Gregg Nunziata (@greggnunziata) October 14, 2020
I'd say Roberts, Kagan, and Barrett are the top three (coincidentally, one for each POTUS), but not sure in what order.
That's some some high praise. Let's jump into a few highlights:
Judge Barrett notes she's been involved in around 600 cases. She is discussing both the facts and controlling law for all cases that senators ask her about *without notes*. #ConfirmAmy #ConfirmACB
— RNLA ⚖️ (@TheRepLawyer) October 14, 2020
Judge Barrett says she wants clerks leaving her chambers to have learned that people can disagree without being disagreeable. This is the Ginsburg-Scalia friendship model, and the approach she has displayed throughout these hearings. #ConfirmACB #ConfirmAmy
— RNLA ⚖️ (@TheRepLawyer) October 14, 2020
It was not easy, as Senate Democrat pressed her. Sometimes to obscene or ridiculous extents:
Judge Barrett very effectively responds to Sen. Leahy treating stare decisis as sacrosanct that both Brown and Lawrence overturned settled Supreme Court precedent. She demonstrated that all their talk of stare decisis is entirely policy-driven. #ConfirmAmy #ConfirmACB
— RNLA ⚖️ (@TheRepLawyer) October 14, 2020
Unlike many nominees, Judge Barrett responds to the ridiculous underlying assumptions in the Dems' questions - that she has an agenda, that she has a secret agreement with President Trump, that she doesn't have any independent thoughts but only those given her by men, and so on.
— RNLA ⚖️ (@TheRepLawyer) October 14, 2020
Judge Barrett to Sen. Blumenthal: You're pushing me to violate the judicial canons of ethics and issue advisory opinions, and I won't do that. 🔥🔥🔥
— RNLA ⚖️ (@TheRepLawyer) October 14, 2020
Judge Barrett noting that her 11-year-old son Liam became very upset during questioning yesterday and had to leave, but that her children are the reason she accepted nomination - to protect freedom and the rule of law for them.
— RNLA ⚖️ (@TheRepLawyer) October 14, 2020
Sexism was present, as the left fears a brilliant conservative woman:
Dear @ChrisCoons:
— 🇺🇸 Mike Davis 🇺🇸 (@mrddmia) October 14, 2020
Have you ever grilled *male* judicial nominees about whether they’d simply rule the way their former bosses’ ruled?
Or just the (conservative) women?
I don’t recall your asking these questions of Justice Gorsuch, Justice Kavanaugh, or any other man. pic.twitter.com/RdJWnznXO0
A good way to sum up the hearings, it was more Professor Barrett than Judge Barrett, as she had to constantly (and patiently, like a mom) explain to Democrats:
It becomes increasingly unclear as #BarrettHearing goes on whether the Dems truly don't understand basic legal reasoning/principles, even after Judge Barrett explains to them, or if they're just pretending to be obtuse to stick to their political script from Schumer.
— RNLA ⚖️ (@TheRepLawyer) October 14, 2020
We will close with a shout out to our own leading women who signed a letter in support of Judge Barrett:
Senator @MarshaBlackburn has entered a letter into the record on behalf of current and former women RNLA leadership supporting Judge Amy Coney Barrett's nomination to the Supreme Court. #ConfirmAmy #ConfirmACB @pnjaban https://t.co/mYryuexfH8
— RNLA ⚖️ (@TheRepLawyer) October 14, 2020