President Trump has made it clear that he wants to fill our nation’s courts with people who will reinforce, rather than challenge, his extreme agenda. As a candidate, Trump signaled his eagerness to use the courts to roll back women’s rights, pledging to nominate anti-choice judges to the bench. And now that attack is in full swing through judicial nominees to lifetime seats on the federal courts, like one being considered in Congress today.
This morning the Senate Judiciary Committee is holding a hearing on an array of controversial Trump nominations, preparing to ram through divisive nominees who should have far more vetting and review. Among them is Professor Amy Coney Barrett, nominated to serve as a judge on the Seventh Circuit Court of Appeals.
Barrett has made no secret of her hostility to reproductive rights. If confirmed, she will bring this ideology to one of the most important courts in the country:
- Barrett wrote in a law review article that abortion is “always immoral.”
- She served as a member of the “University Faculty for Life” organization at the University of Notre Dame.
- She signed a letter entitled “Unacceptable” opposing the Obama administration’s proposal to accommodate religious employers while carrying out the Affordable Care Act’s contraception mandate.
- She has criticized Roe v. Wade, saying that the decision “essentially permitted abortion on demand,” and has implied that the landmark case was incorrectly decided.
PFAW joined reproductive rights allies in sending a letter to the Senate Judiciary Committee to highlight Barrett’s troubling record and oppose her confirmation.
The Supreme Court hears a limited number of cases each year, so appeals courts like the one Barrett would serve on are often the final word on critical issues like women’s health care access. The Senate should only confirm judges who respect the values of equality and justice for all. We simply can’t afford to have our judiciary filled with judges who will put their own ideology above fundamental constitutional rights.