Catholic leaders defend nominee, assail Dems

Bishops say religionbased questioning unconstitutional.

WASHINGTON — Roman Catholic leaders are objecting to Democratic senators’ line of questioning for one of Pres- ident Donald Trump’s judicial nominees, arguing the focus on her faith is misplaced and runs counter to the Constitution’s prohibi- tion on religious tests for political office.

The outcry stems from the questioning last week of Amy Coney Barrett, a Notre Dame law professor tapped to serve on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit. Democrats focused on whether her personal views would override her legal judgment, especially with respect to the landmark 1973 Supreme Court decision legalizing abortion.

Sen. Dianne Feinstein, D-Calif., told Barrett that dogma and law are two dif- ferent things and she was concerned “that the dogma lives loudly within you.”

Feinstein’s comments upset Notre Dame’s president, the Rev. John Jenkins, who wrote a letter this past weekend to the senator and the Judiciary Committee, call- ing the questioning “chill- ing.” The U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops said the challenge to Barrett was a painful reminder of a time when “anti-Catholic bigotry” distorted “our laws and civil order.”

The uproar underscored the volatile mix of religion, politics and the law, with Democrats worried Trump judicial nominees, once seated on the courts, will reverse abortion rights. Democrats changed t he Senate rules in 2013 to a simple majority to ensure confirmation of the president’s nominees, which now leaves Democrats with little recourse to stop Trump’s picks.

“People of faith, whatever faith they may hold, should not be disqualified because of that faith from serving the public good,” said Archbishop William Lori, chairman of the Catholic Bishops’ committee on religious liberty. Jenkins implored the senators to “respect those in whom ‘dogma lives loudly’ — which is a condition we call faith. For the attempt to live such faith while one respects the legal system should command respect, not evoke concern.” Jenkins said Barrett made it clear that she would “follow unflinchingly” all court precedent and, in rare cases in which her conscience would not allow her to do so, she would recuse herself.