Less than 72 hours after the death of Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg, President Donald Trump nominated federal appeals judge Amy Coney Barrett to the Supreme Court.
Despite their fierce opposition to then-President Barack Obama replacing the late Justice Antonin Scalia on the Court during an election year in 2016, Republicans are determined to confirm Coney Barrett's nomination with little more than a month to go before the presidential election. This is despite millions of people having already cast their votes.
Coney Barrett's nomination sparked national concerns that her ties to a fringe religious group known as People of Praise would lead to Coney Barrett siding with religious ideals rather than constitutional guarantees previously established by the nation's highest court.
The People of Praise sanctifies men as "heads" of the family and strongly opposes the right to an abortion, with former members saying it teaches that men should submit to their husbands' will.
Among the many decisions feared to be in jeopardy are Roe v. Wade which ensured the right to terminate an unwanted pregnancy and Obergefell v. Hodges which gave all Americans the right to marry the person of their choice. The Court is also expected to hear arguments regarding the Affordable Care Act in the coming weeks.
With Coney Barrett's religious views under scrutiny, the Associated Press reports that the People of Praise scrubbed mentions and photos of Coney Barrett from its website. It did the same in 2017 when Coney Barrett was on Trump's shortlist to replace Justice Anthony Kennedy, though the nomination eventually went to now-Justice Brett Kavanaugh.
The People of Praise's attempts to conceal Coney Barrett's decades-long involvement raised red flags across Twitter.
Definitely the behavior of people with nothing to hide. https://t.co/PN5mmRB8zB
— Franklin Leonard (@franklinleonard) October 1, 2020
This is an important read - Amy Coneey Barrett is unfit for a seat on the SCOTUS due to her ties to People of Praise.
Also, what is People of Praise hiding by scrubbing their website? https://t.co/rz1JdDkTGV
— M. Mendoza Ferrer (@m_mendozaferrer) October 1, 2020
Nothing fishy here... https://t.co/ZfFytKEfTK
— No sleep 'til Biden 🇺🇸 (@shawndrasays) October 1, 2020
https://t.co/KEMJXkoXrC pic.twitter.com/FiYRRWsnOT
— Merrifying Smith 👻 (@EvilGalProds) October 1, 2020
If it's ok why scrub it???
🚨🚨🚨🚨🚨🚨 https://t.co/AdfSmeiI2G
— time2think2020 (@thinkingtime55) October 1, 2020
Hiding from something, Amy? A jurist that is also a religious zealot can never live with decisions that conflict. You will always err on one side.
@realDonaldTrump @cspanwj#Resist #VoteBlue #BidenHarris https://t.co/FfC3Z3LTvJ
— 'Wheat (@sandcrapper) October 1, 2020
Some say that no matter who Trump appoints, the nomination will be illegitimate due to the standard set by Republicans in 2016.
In January 2016, President Obama nominated Indiana Supreme Court Justice Myra Selby to the 7th Circuit.
Mitch McConnell and Republicans blocked her nomination for a year.
Then they let Trump appoint Amy Coney Barrett.
The Supreme Court would be Barrett's second stolen seat. https://t.co/wmcqCdxcqp pic.twitter.com/8OX8SyAWOm
— Keith Boykin (@keithboykin) October 1, 2020
I will never get over fact Senate GOP blocked Merrick Garland's nomination 237 DAYS before election but rushing to confirm Amy Coney Barrett 35 days before Nov 3, when over 1 million people have already voted to select next president & millions more will vote in coming days
— Ari Berman (@AriBerman) September 30, 2020
I refuse to discuss Amy Coney Barrett's jurisprudence or character or views. The issue of her nomination should not be about that. It should be about the fact of her nomination in the first place.
— Benjamin Wittes (@benjaminwittes) September 26, 2020
Barring any unforeseen events, Coney Barrett is expected to be expeditiously confirmed to the Court.
@PreetBharara/X
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AMC