CONFIRMED! Senate Confirms Amy Coney Barrett to Supreme Court

Today was an exciting day on Capitol Hill.  After 30 hours of debate – including a Sunday overnight session – the Senate voted 52-48 to confirm Amy Coney Barrett as Associate Justice of the United States Supreme Court.

Find out how your state’s two senators voted below.

As my colleagues and I put it in our recent op-ed, Barrett is a unicorn to the Left but the future to us.  A woman isn’t supposed to achieve great professional success and raise a large family, and a person of faith isn’t supposed to earn acclaim from legal scholars of every political persuasion and land a seat on the highest court in the land, right?  Wrong.  As Judiciary Committee Chairman Lindsey Graham (R-SC) said, Barrett has not “punch[ed] through a glass ceiling, but a reinforced concrete barrier.” Justice Amy Coney Barrett personifies the extraordinary capability of a woman and the hope of America at this pivotal time in our nation’s history.

The addition of a young, originalist justice to the Supreme Court indeed gives Americans of faith and pro-life values specific hope for the potential undoing of Roe v. Wade.  Barrett’s confirmation also provides optimism for the future of religious freedom in our country and the ability of people of faith to exercise their deeply held beliefs without reprisal.

It is expected that Justice Barrett will sit on the bench next Wednesday (the day after Election Day) to hear oral arguments in the case of Fulton v. City of Philadelphia.  This landmark case centers on two foster care moms – Sharonell Fulton and Toni Simms-Busch – and the City of Philadelphia. In 2018, the city ended its partnership with Catholic Social Services because the agency would not bow to the city’s demands to change its religious practices and place children with same-sex couples.  Sharonell and Toni are both single women of color who have been called to help at-risk children break the cycle of foster care, but today their homes sit empty.  They have fostered more than 45 kids between them, and are more than willing to continue this heroic work if the agency that aligns with their faith and values – Catholic Social Services – is allowed to reopen with its mission intact.

In addition to the likelihood of the current Supreme Court affirming laws to protect human life and religious liberty, there is also great reason to hope the addition of Amy Coney Barrett will usher in a  return to the Court’s proper role of interpreting laws and the Constitution as written.  If the judiciary fulfills its Constitutional mandate instead of legislating from the bench, pro-family, pro-life and pro-religious freedom Americans can expect to be pleased with the outcome.

Even as we celebrate the positive potential outcomes of Justice Barrett’s confirmation, we remain cautious given the unknown outcome of next week’s election.  It is wise to acknowledge that the significant gains made possible by the newest Supreme Court justice could be undone if the next president of the United States determines to “pack the court.”  Joe Biden has said we’ll “find out after [he’s] elected” what he thinks about court packing.  He’s also voiced his intention to assemble a commission to research the issue.  These messages provide no comfort to pro-life Americans who know Biden’s position on abortion includes support for codifying Roe v. Wade and if given a chance, will appoint pro-abortion, activist judges.  The threat this poses intensifies with the possibility of Democrat leadership growing the number of justices on the Supreme Court with the intention to make it a super-legislature. 

Meanwhile, we know President Trump’s record of federal court nominations.  He has appointed more than 200 jurists – including three Supreme Court justices – to the federal bench who are committed to interpreting the law and Constitution faithfully.  Appreciation is due to President Trump, Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY), Judiciary Committee Chairman Lindsey Graham (R-SC) and all senators who have voted to confirm these individuals – and Justice Amy Coney Barrett in particular.

As we look expectantly to the future of the federal judiciary, we do so prayerfully and hopefully as Election 2020 nears.

Sincerely,

Amanda Banks
Director, External Relations

Here’s how your state’s 2 Senators voted on confirming Justice Amy Coney Barrett: