Serving as the 103rd Associate Justice of the Supreme Court, Amy Coney Barrett was confirmed on October 27th, 2020 taking the place of Ruth Bader Ginsberg who served a lifetime in this position. Appointed by previous President Donald J. Trump, Barrett was confirmed towards the beginning of the 2020 presidential election and the end of Donald J. Trump’s term. According to senate.gov, Barrett won a total of 52 votes out of 48, all of which were Republican except one that opposed, and no Democratic votes. The Senate currently holds 52 Republican seats and 48 Democrat seats.

Barrett’s beliefs

Based on her views, Barrett has proven to be a conservative and has openly spoken out about her Catholic religion. In the past, Barrett has ruled in favor of making it a requirement for doctors to inform the parents of minors that want an abortion. According to BBC News, she also sought to have abortions that are currently set in place and are related to sex, race, disability, or health conditions to be reheard. In 2018, Barrett was a judge in the U.S. Court of Appeals where she reversed a lawsuit that had awarded $6.7 million to a 19 year old, pregnant, rape victim. The young woman claimed to have been sexually assaulted by guard Xavier Thicklen 5 times before she had birth and four days shortly after she had birth. Barrett’s reasoning for reversing this was that “No reasonable jury could find the sexual assaults were in the scope of his employment.” Thicklen was later charged with sexual assault and paid the price of a $200 fine, three days in jail, and termination.

The importance of Barrett’s position

Barrett’s appointed position as an Associate Justice of the Supreme Court consists of many different jobs. Barret holds a very important position as she is responsible for determining the outcome of a case before the Supreme Court is able. Associate Justices are also tasked with carrying out the Chief Justice’s duties when they are unable to do so themselves. Article 3 and Section 1 of the Constitution states that Associate Justices are appointed for life unless the justice retires, dies, resigned, or is impeached.

After interviewing local resident Julian Reyna and asking the question “How do you feel about Amy Coney Barrett being granted the position of an Associate Justice Leader? Do you think this will drastically change our country?” Reyna responded with, “I’m not sure of what to expect. Amy was just recently voted in so hopefully our country will change for the better.” As of right now, America remains neutral not knowing what changes to expect. America hasn’t known a new Associate Justice of the Supreme Court since 1980 when Judge Ruth Bader Ginsberg was appointed. We look forward to finding out what changes will occur.