[Congressional Record Volume 166, Number 178 (Monday, October 19, 2020)]
[Senate]
[Pages S6049-S6050]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                    NOMINATION OF AMY CONEY BARRETT

  Mr. McCONNELL. Last week, the Senate Judiciary Committee and the 
entire country heard from one of the most impressive nominees for any 
public office in a long time. Judge Amy Coney Barrett demonstrated that 
she has the deep legal expertise, dispassionate judicial temperament, 
and sheer intellectual horsepower the American people deserve to have 
on the Supreme Court. Her nomination prompted an outpouring of praise 
from across academia, the legal profession, and, importantly, the 
political spectrum. Last week, our committee colleagues saw why fellow 
legal scholars called Judge Barrett ``a brilliant and conscientious 
lawyer who will analyze and decide cases in good faith'' and say she is 
``tailor-made for this job.'' They heard firsthand why her former law 
clerks and students called her ``a woman of unassailable integrity'' 
and ``a role model for generations to come.''
  They heard thoughtful answers that explained why the American Bar 
Association--an institution the Democratic leader has called ``the gold 
standard''--deems Judge Barrett ``well qualified'' to sit on the 
Supreme Court. They heard why the legal professionals behind that 
rating call her ``a staggering academic mind.''

[[Page S6050]]

  The Chair of the ABA's Standing Committee on the Federal Judiciary 
told the committee directly that ``in interviews with individuals in 
the legal profession and community who know Judge Barrett, whether for 
a few years or decades, not one person uttered a negative word about 
her character.''
  Of course, there is another way you can tell that Judge Barrett is so 
impressive and so qualified. It is the fact that the people who 
precommitted to oppose her nomination have completely retreated from 
arguing the merits. Virtually none of the politicians, pundits, or 
special interests that opposed Judge Barrett from the beginning have 
even tried to lay a finger on her qualifications or credentials.
  We have seen inaccurate claims that it would be abnormal for the 
Senate to fill this seat. We have seen bizarre, barely disguised 
insinuations about the nominee's religious faith, and now, this 
morning, there was improper press scrutiny of her children. We have 
heard Democrats try to take hostage our very institutions of government 
to stop this precedent-backed process from moving forward, but none of 
the distortions can even begin to cloud the incredible qualifications 
of the nominee.
  I look forward to the Judiciary Committee's vote on Thursday. The 
full Senate will turn to Judge Barrett's nomination as soon as it comes 
out of committee. I will be proud to vote to confirm this exceptional 
jurist

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