In no big surprise, 150 civil and human rights groups, as represented by the Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights [LCCHR], expressed strong opposition to 74-year-old, Covid-19 stricken President Donald Trump’s pick to replace the late Associate Supreme Court Justice Amy Coney Barrett. Writing a 16-page letter opposing Barrett’s appointment, LCCHR itemized Barrett’s ruling against heath care access, reproductive right, LBGTQ rights, victims of employment discrimination, victims of sexual assault and gun control. Liberal groups of course don’t like the rulings of conservative judges, preferring Justices like the late Ruth Bader Gisnburg that championed the cause of women, minority and gender rights. If candidates don’t fit into a liberal agenda, they don’t won’t them on the Supreme Court or even the U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals.
Barrett said in 2017 that former President Barack Obama’s Affordable Care Act was not constitutional, agreeing with Trump who signed the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act Dec. 22, 2017 removing Obama’s individual mandate, requiring all taxpayers to show proof of insurance or pay an IRS penalty. Obama thought when he signed the Affordable Care Act [ACA] March 23, 2010 that there was nothing wrong with demanding all American buy health insurance, insisting the ACA required all Americans to chip in or the government plan wouldn’t work. Groups like LCCHR oppose anyone that doesn’t give preferential treatment to the causes they represent. LCCHR said Barret signed a letter in 2006 calling for an end to legalized abortion in Indiana. It’s true that if Roe v. Wade were overturned, something highly unlikely since it’s regarded as legal precedent, states like Indiana could make abortion illegal.
Barrett has never said that if she were confirmed by the Senate she’d work to end Roe v. Wade. Liberal groups believe in a women’s right to choose under any circumstances involving her own body, including ending a newborn’s life after birth. If Barrett thinks there should be time limits on abortion, that’s her right as a conservative jurist. Much of the opposition to Barrett stems from the LBGTQ community that sees Barrett criticizing the June 26, 2015 Obergefell v. Hodges Supreme Court ruling mandating same-sex marriage on a federal level. “So I think Obergefell, and what we’re talking about for the future of the court, it’s really a who decides question,” said LCCHR, opposing Barrett’s Supreme Court appointment. Barrett ruled against the Equal Opportunity Commission v. AutoZone for a black worker that fought against a transfer by management to a store in an African American neighborhood.
One of the most peculiar complaints from liberal groups against Barrett came from Doe v. Purdue University in which Barrett ruled to allowed a former student accused of sexual assault to proceed with a Title IX suit alleging discrimination. You’d think liberal groups would defend an accused man’s right to defend his civil liberties under Title IX.. Liberal groups opposed to Barrett would spend their time more wisely opposing her involvement in People of Praise, a cult-like Christian group with nearly 1,800 members, marrying Pentecostalism with Catholicism. Asking Barrett at her confirmation hearing whether or not she speaks in tongues would go a long way in developing opposition to her Supreme Court appointment. Arguing that Barrett isn’t fit for the court because she’s not a liberal justice is not a valid. Talking about her loyalty to a religious cult is different.
Barrett’s detractors hope that enough U.S. Senators on the Judiciary Committee have Covid-19, preventing the hearing from proceeding. But like other hearings in the age of Covid-19, Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) will proceed with Barrett’s hearing on Oct. 12. “The undersigned organizations urge the Senate to oppose the confirmation of Judge Barrett and allow the president duly chose in the 2020 general election to fill the existing Supreme Court vacancy,” wrote LCCHR, American Federation of Teachers, Human Rights Campaign, NAACP and NARAL, Pro-Choice America Liberal opposition to Barrett isn’t enough to change anyone’s minds on the Senate Judiciary Committee or on the Senate floor. Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) claimed Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) reneged on what he did with Obama’s pick in 2016
When it came to McConnell holding back on Obama’s pick in 2016, it had to do with the fact that Republicans controlled the Senate . If Trump loses Nov. 3 and Democrat control the Senate in 2024, they’d 100% confirm their own justice. Democrats look poised to win the White House Nov. 3 and possibly take back the Senate. When it comes to Amy Coney Barrett, McConnell and Graham will do everything possible to confirm her before the Nov. 3 election or shortly after. Knowing what’s brewing in the 2020 election, McConnell and Graham are determined to get Barrett on the court. Once Trump got Covid-19, it was a tipping point toward Biden in the 2020 race. Trump had a puncher’s chance up till Oct. 1 when he diagnosed with Covid-19, after that his polls have been falling like a rock. McConnell and Graham see what’s happening and want Barrett on the High Court.
