Speaking from the White House Rose Garden Saturday afternoon, U.S. Circuit Court Judge Amy Coney Barrett accepted President Trump’s nomination to become the next Supreme Court Justice.
“Thank you very much Mr. President. I am deeply honored by the confidence you have placed in me,” Barrett said. “I fully understand that this is a momentous decision for a President and if the Senate does me the honor of confirming me, I pledge to discharge the responsibility of this job to the best of my ability. I love the United States and I love the United States constitution. I am truly humbled by the prospect of serving on the Supreme Court.”
“I clerked for Justice Scalia more than 20 years ago but the lessons I learned still resonate. His judicial philosophy, mine too, a judge must apply the law as written. Judges are not policy makers and they must be resolute and setting aside any policy views they might hold," she continued.
Barrett dedicated much of her speech to the legacy of the late Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg and praised her life's long work of bringing women into the legal field. She also praised Ginsburg's friendship with the late Justice Antonin Scalia despite their strong political differences.
“The President has asked me to become the ninth Justice and it turns out, I’m used to being in a group of nine,” Barrett said about her family.
Barrett’s husband, Jesse and her seven children traveled to Washington D.C. Saturday to accept the nomination. President Trump noted during his introduction of Barrett that if confirmed, Barrett will become the first mother of school aged children to serve on the Supreme Court.
“I stand before you today to fulfill one of my highest and most important duties under the United States Constitution, the nomination of a Supreme Court Justice,” Trump said. “It is a very proud moment indeed…we gather in the Rose Garden to continue our never ending task to preserve equal justice and the impartial rule of law. Today is my honor to nominate one our nation’s most brilliant and gifted legal minds to the Supreme Court.”
“You are eminently qualified for this job and you’re going to be fantastic,” Trump said, turning away from the crowd and to Barrett. “She is a woman of unparalleled achievement, towering intellect, sterling credentials and unyielding loyalty to the constitution.”
Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, who will schedule the floor is praising the nomination.
“President Trump could not have made a better decision. Judge Amy Coney Barrett is an exceptionally impressive jurist and an exceedingly well-qualified nominee to the Supreme Court of the United States,” McConnell released in a statement. “The Senate will evaluate this nomination on the basis of Judge Barrett’s objective qualifications. But it cannot escape notice that this nominee has also already won national admiration for her shining example of strong female leadership at the very top of her field. As our nation continues to mourn Justice Ginsburg and honor her trail-blazing legacy, it does seem fitting that another brilliant and talented woman at the height of their shared profession would follow in her footsteps onto the Court.”
Barrett will begin meeting with Senators on Capitol Hill this week ahead of a confirmation hearing, which has yet to be scheduled.
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