Barrett as Supreme Court Justice

Last month, Amy Coney Barrett was confirmed as the new Supreme Court Justice to succeed the late Ruth Bader Ginsburg, also known as RBG. Being a part of the Supreme Court is an esteemed honor because it’s the highest court in the land. It plays a large role in upholding the constitution. A Supreme Court Justice is supposed to interpret the law and ensure the American people promise equal justice under it, which explains the importance of Barrett’s current position.

Barrett was born on January 28, 1972, in New Orleans, Louisiana. She graduated magna cum laude from Rhodes College, B.A. (1994), and Notre Dame Law School, J.D. (1997) summa cum laude. Barrett served on the 7th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals for less than three years. She is married to Jesse Barret, with whom she has seven children.

Despite Barett being a republican, her track record on the 7th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals is a strong indication that she’s a more conservative judge. Her traditional views have usually kept her from swaying left on abortion, discrimination, gun rights, and immigration. Barrett considers herself to be an originalist. Originalism is the idea that the constitution should be interpreted as it was at its adoption. Since the world is constantly evolving, working with this mindset can allow a person to make decisions that harmfully impact today’s society. Though it is early to predict the choices that Amy Coney Barett will make in her new role, a progressive change could already be at stake.

There are people opposed to Barrett replacing RBG as the new Supreme Court Justice. According to Essence Gaynor (12), “Trump didn’t make the right decision when choosing Amy Coney Barrett for the Supreme Court. She has not sided with individuals in police brutality cases in the past. She’s also referred to climate change as “controversial,” which would essentially say that science should be disregarded and ignored. We need people who understand and want to make the Earth better literally and figuratively in the Supreme Court. I don’t think she is the person to do so.”

Angelina Burwell (11) shares her opinion on the matter: “With Amy Coney Barrett being elected into office and knowing her background… I’m actually really scared of what that could mean, especially for the Supreme Court. Since she is a judge making decisions, I feel that although she won’t make it obvious, she’ll definitely vote in favor of religious leaning laws. Like abortion laws, I think she’ll vote in favor of anything like that… just carrying over the conservative agenda. After all, that is the reason why Trump elected her.”

Due to Amy Coney Barrett’s large role within the Supreme Court, she’ll leave a significant impact. It’s uncertain whether or not it’ll be positive, but only time will tell. All that the American people can do is wait and see what happens.