BLACK REPUBLICAN BLOG

 By Evie Fordham | Fox News

Judge Coney Barrett has been on Trump's list of potential lists since 2017.

Judge Amy Coney Barrett's name has popped up each time President Trump has had to pick a new Supreme Court nominee, and there is once again buzz about Coney Barrett since Trump may choose to nominate a replacement for the late Ruth Bader Ginsburg.

Coney Barrett, 48, has been on Trump's list of potential nominees since 2017. Picking her would keep the male-female ratio on the Court the same, although it would throw off the balance of liberals and conservatives among the justices.

Coney Barrett began teaching at Notre Dame Law School in 2002 before being confirmed as a judge on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit.

Her 2017 confirmation to the federal bench was contentious, with several Democratic senators questioning whether her Catholic faith — expressed in prior speeches — would influence her jurisprudence.

"The dogma lives loudly within you, and that's a concern," Sen. Dianne Feinstein, D-Calif., said.

Barrett responded; "It's never appropriate for a judge to impose that judge's personal convictions, whether they arise from faith or anywhere else, on the law."

Barrett was a former law clerk for the late Justice Antonin Scalia from 1998 to 1999. She and her husband, Jesse Barrett, have seven children.

Coney Barrett was reportedly one of six candidates interviewed by Trump to replace retiring Justice Anthony Kennedy in 2018. Trump chose now-Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh.

Other contenders for Trump's nomination include Judge Britt Grant, Judge Amul Thapar and Judge Steve Colloton.

 

Fox News' Bill Mears and Shannon Bream contributed to this report.

https://www.foxnews.com/politics/amy-coney-barrett-ruth-bader-ginsburg-supreme-court

 

Justice Barbara Lagoa was commissioned  as a judge on the U.S. Eleventh Circuit Court of Appeals based in Atlanta from President Donald Trump.

Justice Barbara Lagoa was born in Miami, Florida. She received her Bachelor of Arts cum laude in 1989 from Florida International University where she majored in English and was a member of the Phi Kappa Phi honor society. Justice Lagoa received her Juris Doctor from Columbia University School of Law in 1992, where she served as an Associate Editor of the Columbia Law Review. She is fluent in English and Spanish.

On January 9, 2019, she became the first Hispanic woman and the first Cuban American woman appointed to serve on the Florida Supreme Court.  Prior to her appointment by Governor Ron DeSantis to the Florida Supreme Court, Governor Jeb Bush appointed her in June of 2006 to serve on the Third District Court of Appeal.  At that court, she became the first Hispanic woman and the first Cuban American woman appointed to serve on the Third District Court of Appeal.  On January 1, 2019, she became the first Hispanic female Chief Judge of the Third District Court of Appeal.

Prior to joining the bench, Justice Lagoa practiced in both the civil and criminal arenas. Her civil practice at Greenberg Traurig focused on general and complex commercial litigation, particularly the areas of employment discrimination, business torts, securities litigation, construction litigation, and insurance coverage disputes. In 2003, she joined the United States Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Florida as an Assistant United States Attorney, where she worked in the Civil, Major Crimes and Appellate Sections. As an Assistant United States Attorney, she tried numerous criminal jury trials, including drug conspiracies and Hobbs Act violations. She also handled a significant number of appeals.

While a practicing lawyer, Justice Lagoa was admitted to The Florida Bar, the United States District Courts for the Middle and Southern Districts of Florida, and the United States Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit. She was also a member of many local, state, and national professional groups including the Dade County Bar Association, and the Florida Association for Women Lawyers.

Justice Lagoa’s civic and community activities include service on the Board of Directors for the YWCA of Greater Miami and Dade County, the Film Society of Miami, Kristi House, and the FIU Alumni Association. She was also a member of the Federal Judicial Nominating Commission. She is currently a member of the Eugene P. Spellman and William Hoeveler Chapter of the American Inns of Court.

Justice Lagoa is married to Paul C. Huck, Jr., an attorney. They have three daughters. Justice Lagoa left the Florida Supreme Court on December 6, 2019, when she received her commission as a judge on the U.S. Eleventh Circuit Court of Appeals based in Atlanta from President Donald Trump.

https://www.floridasupremecourt.org/Justices/Former-Justices/Justice-Barbara-Lagoa