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A Catholic mother of seven is the front-running candidate to replace US Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg, who died Friday evening aged 87.
Judge Amy Coney Barrett is reportedly the most likely presidential nominee for the role.
Appointed a federal judge in 2017, Barrett was a professor at Notre Dame law school until her nomination was confirmed.
As a nominee to the federal bench, Barrett was questioned by Democratic senators on how her Catholic faith would influence her decisions as a judge on cases of abortion and same-sex marriage.
During confirmation hearings, Senator Diane Feinstein said “the conclusion one draws is that the dogma lives loudly within you. And that’s of concern.”
“You’re controversial because many of us that have lived our lives as women really recognize the value of finally being able to control our reproductive systems.”
Barrett insisted she would uphold the law of the land.
Pro-life groups hailed Barrett’s 2017 appointment to the bench.
Barrett is reportedly a member of the People of Praise charismatic community, which was criticized as a “cult” during her 2017 confirmation hearings.
Bishop Peter Smith said in 2018 there is nothing unusual about the group.
“We’re a lay movement in the Church,” Smith explained. “There are plenty of these. We continue to try and live out life and our calling as Catholics, as baptized Christians, in this particular way, as other people do in other callings or ways that God may lead them into the Church.”
The country’s wait for Trump’s decision about the new US Supreme Court nominee may not be long.
“.@GOP We were put in this position of power and importance to make decisions for the people who so proudly elected us, the most important of which has long been considered to be the selection of United States Supreme Court Justices. We have this obligation, without delay!” Trump tweeted on Saturday.
Choosing her replacement in a hurry is the opposite of what Ginsburg wanted.
“My most fervent wish is that I will not be replaced until a new president is installed.” NPR reported, hinting Ginsburg wanted her seat left vacant until 2025 if Trump is re-elected in November.
Ginsburg was the architect of the legal fight for women’s rights in the 1970s, subsequently serving 27 years on the nation’s highest court.
Former President George W. Bush acknowledged Ginsburg “dedicated many of her 87 remarkable years to the pursuit of justice and equality, and she inspired more than one generation of women and girls…”
Hillary Clinton also tweeted: “Justice Ginsburg paved the way for so many women, including me. There will never be another like her. Thank you RBG.”
Whether he selects Barrett, Trump’s Supreme Court nomination has become a matter of political controversy.
Republican Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell pledged a Trump nominee will be voted on for confirmation by the Senate, despite there being only seven weeks until the election.
Democratic leaders are pushing back, noting McConnell’s refusal to consider President Obama’s Supreme Court nominee seven months before the 2016 presidential contest.
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