AUSTIN –U.S. Senator John Cornyn (R-TX) issued the following statement after President Trump announced he will nominate Judge Amy Coney Barrett to the Supreme Court:
“Judge Amy Coney Barrett is a legal trailblazer with a deep respect for the law and our nation’s founding principles. Throughout her impressive career, Judge Barrett has maintained the importance of an independent judiciary that interprets the law and Constitution as-written, and operates free from political pressure.
“Judge Barrett has impressed the brightest judicial and legal minds with her profound understanding of the law. During the confirmation process for her current position, Judge Barrett proved she has not only the legal expertise, but also the proper temperament and character to serve on the high court.
“The Senate will begin a thorough review of Judge Barrett’s nomination, a process that should not be rushed. Despite previous attacks based on Judge Barrett’s religious faith, I hope Democrats choose not to engage in another character assassination, as they did against Justice Kavanaugh. I look forward to meeting with Judge Barrett in the coming days as the Judiciary Committee prepares for her confirmation hearing.”
Background:
Senator Cornyn previously spoke on the importance of a thorough confirmation process:
“Just as the Senate has always done, we will thoroughly review the qualifications and experience of whomever the President nominates. We should not rush that process. It should be conducted carefully and consistently with how the Senate has previously handled Supreme Court nominations. And when that process is complete, the Senate will vote on that nominee sometime this year.”
Days between nomination and Senate confirmation for previous Supreme Court Justices:
John Paul Stevens: 19
Sandra Day O’Connor: 33
Ruth Bader Ginsburg: 42
Biography:
Judge Barrett has served as a judge on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit since 2017. Before becoming a judge, she was the Diane and M.O. Miller, II Research Chair in Law and Professor of Law at Notre Dame Law School, where her scholarship focused on constitutional and statutory interpretation and the Federal courts. Judge Barrett has also served as a Visiting Associate Professor of Law at the University of Virginia Law School and the John M. Olin Fellow in Law at George Washington University Law School. Earlier in her career, she practiced at the prestigious law firms Miller, Cassidy, Larroca & Lewin LLP and Baker Botts LLP. Judge Barrett clerked on the Supreme Court for Justice Antonin Scalia and for Judge Laurence H. Silberman on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit. She is a magna cum laude graduate of Rhodes College in Tennessee and a summa cum laude graduate of Notre Dame Law School, where she graduated first in her class. Judge Barrett is known for her keen intellect, piercing legal analysis, and generous spirit. Judge Barrett lives in Indiana with her husband Jesse and their seven children.