[Congressional Record Volume 166, Number 192 (Tuesday, November 10, 2020)]
[Senate]
[Page S6650]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                   CONFIRMATION OF AMY CONEY BARRETT

  Mr. BURR. Madam President, last month the Senate confirmed the newest 
Justice to the Supreme Court, Amy Coney Barrett. As members of this 
body, one of our great privileges and weightiest responsibilities is to 
fulfill the role of ``advice and consent'' provided in the Constitution 
to examine and, if merited, confirm the President's nominees. In the 
case of the Federal judiciary, not only will these nominees out serve 
many of us in the Senate, their rulings will shape the fabric of our 
Nation the way that affects generations.
  It is with a great understanding of this that I consider judicial 
nominees and also why I am proud to have been able to vote in support 
of Justice Barrett's confirmation. Much has been said about her legal 
abilities and credentials and how she has consistently distinguished 
herself as a student, a law clerk and practitioner, academic, and judge 
on the Seventh Circuit Court of Appeals. Yet two characteristics beyond 
her stellar resume enabled me to decisively cast my vote for her to 
serve on the Supreme Court of the United States: her respect for the 
Constitution and her character.
  Throughout her career, Justice Barrett has shown she will uphold the 
Constitution and that she understand the checks and balances that are a 
part of our democracy. She has stated multiple times that ``It is never 
appropriate for a judge to impose that judge's personal convictions,'' 
and her writing and her statements and her opinions for the Seventh 
Circuit demonstrate her respect for the rule of law; for the 
responsibilities of the legislative, executive, and judicial branches; 
and for interpreting the law in accordance with the ``the meaning it 
had at the time people ratified it.'' This understanding is crucial for 
judges to ensure that the legislature has its proper role, that the 
Constitution is followed as written and amended when changes are 
necessary, and that our system has the proper checks and balances.
  With regards to her character, Judge Barrett's career and life 
demonstrate the kind of person she is. She has received public awards, 
including the Notre Dame Law School's Distinguished Teaching Award 
three times, being selected by graduating law students as a professor 
``who exhibits excellence in leadership, friendship, legal knowledge, 
legal teaching, and professional ability.'' She has received the 
accolade of her fellow clerks on the Supreme Court, including the 
clerks of the late Justice Ginsburg, who called her ``smart, honorable, 
and fair-minded.'' She was lauded by fellow professors at Notre Dame as 
someone who has ``in abundance all of the other qualities that shape 
extraordinary jurists: discipline, intellect, wisdom, impeccable 
temperament, and above all, fundamental decency and humanity.'' It goes 
without saying that these are the qualities of an individual who we 
want serving on the highest court of our land.
  For a lifetime appointment to the Supreme Court, an individual must 
be the entire package. I am confident that Justice Barrett's 
credentials, judicial philosophy, and character will serve our Nation 
well for decades to come, and I am honored to have supported her 
nomination.

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