Judge Amy Barrett: Newest Member of the U.S. Supreme Court

Oct. 26 was a monumental day as the Senate confirmed Judge Amy Coney Barrett as the new Supreme Court justice. Following the death of Ruth Bader Ginsburg, President Donald Trump nominated Amy Barrett to replace the court’s vacant seat. Only eight days before election day, Barret became the fifth woman to serve as an Associate Justice on the Supreme Court.

According to the New York Times, Justice Barrett was born and raised in New Orleans, Louisiana and later moved to South Bend, Indiana where she now lives with her husband and seven children. She studied law at Notre Dame. Justice Barrett possesses decades of experience as a trusted legal professional, having clerked for Justice Scalia and serving as a Judge in the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit. With Justice Barrett now on the court, the majority is conservative, indicating the reversal of some former policies. She became the third justice nominated and inaugurated by President Donald Trump, following Justices Gorsuch and Kavanaugh.

She promises to continue to advocate for womens’ rights, just as Ruth Ginsburg did during her time in office. Concerning her judicial values, Judge Barrett has stated that the values of former Justice Antonin Scalia, whom she clerked for, correlate to her own, saying “His judicial philosophy is mine too.”

In her speeches and inauguration address Judge Barret expressed a devotion to the American people and the fight for their constitutional rights: “If confirmed, I would not assume that role for the sake of those in my own circle and certainly not for my own sake … I would assume the role to serve you.” Justice Barrett brings a new kind of conservatism to the supreme court, and will most likely reflect this in the decisions yet to come.