WASHINGTON, D.C. – As President Trump announces his nominee to replace Justice Anthony Kennedy on the U.S. Supreme Court, one of the top candidates is a former Notre Dame law professor.
Amy Coney Barrett, 46, whom the Wall Street Journal has called one of the three “front runners” for the nomination, was nominated by President Trump to serve on the 7th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals and confirmed by the U.S. Senate in Oct. 2017. However, it was during her confirmation hearing that Sen. Dianne Feinstein questioned how much her Catholic faith would play a role in her decisions as a judge.
“If you’re asking if I take my faith seriously, and I’m a faithful Catholic, I am; although I would stress that my personal church affiliation or my religious belief would not bare on the discharge of my duties as a judge,” Barrett told the Senate Judiciary Committee.
The U.S. Senate confirmed Barrett as a U.S. Circuit Judge in Oct. 2017, including support from Indiana’s Democrat Sen. Joe Donnelly, who was one of three Democrats who voted in favor of confirming Barrett.
Barrett earned her law degree from Notre Dame Law School in 1997. She was a law clerk for U.S. Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia before returning to Notre Dame Law School as a professor from 2002-17.
Barrett and her husband Jesse, who is an assistant U.S. attorney, have seven children.
If nominated by President Trump, Barrett would be the first woman nominated by a Republican president since Sandra Day O’Connor was nominated by President Reagan in 1981.
President Trump tweeted Sunday night that he will announce his nominee at 9 p.m. Monday.
Photo: Jacksonville University via YouTube
