Conn. officials voice concerns over Barrett nomination,
NEW HAVEN — President Donald Trump nominated Judge Amy Coney Barrett, considered a staunch conservative in the vein of Justice Antonin Scalia, to the Supreme Court Saturday afternoon, prompting reactions from Connecticut residents and officials.
Barrett sits on the Seventh Circuit Court of Appeals. She formerly clerked for Scalia and described her judicial philosophy as similar Saturday. In a statement, the White House press office said she has “demonstrated a steadfast dedication to upholding the Constitution as written, and not legislating from the bench.”
Trump called Barrett a “woman of unparalleled achievement” as he announced her nomination, according to the Associated Press, describing her as one of the nation’s “brilliant and gifted legal minds” and “very eminently qualified for the job.”
U.S. Sen. Richard Blumenthal and U.S. Sen. Chris Murphy, both Democrats, expressed opposition to Barrett’s nomination in separate statements Friday.
Blumenthal said the nomination was proffered as part of an “illegitimate sham process, barely one month before an election as Americans are already casting their votes,” and described Barrett’s views as “extreme,” saying she had already been “vetted and screened to meet two tests: a commitment to striking down the Affordable Care Act and to overturning Roe v. Wade.”
“Judge Barrett has criticized past decisions protecting access to healthcare, shown hostility to reproductive freedoms, and expressed a willingness to overturn settled Supreme Court precedent that does not align with her extreme views. If Judge Barrett’s views become law, hundreds of millions of Americans living with pre-existing conditions would lose access to their health care. In the middle of a global pandemic that has claimed more than 200,000 American lives, rushing confirmation of an extreme jurist who will decimate healthcare is unconscionable,” said Blumenthal. “I refuse to treat this process as legitimate and will not meet with Judge Barrett.”
Murphy also framed Barrett’s nomination through her possible impact on the Affordable Care Act, as well as health care more generally during the ongoing pandemic.
“If Trump puts Amy Coney Barrett, his handpicked nominee, on the court, millions of people I represent in Connecticut will be kicked off their health care plans, in the middle of a global pandemic. This is the catastrophe that will be coming if Coney Barrett, who is being chosen specifically because she will vote to invalidate the entire Affordable Care Act, is confirmed,” said Murphy. “The Republicans have been on a decadeslong crusade to dismantle the Affordable Care Act — sending us back to the days when insurance companies could deny you coverage for having a pre-existing condition. Now, a case is pending that will take away health care for millions, and Senate Republicans are predictably reneging on their pledge from four years ago of not appointing a Supreme Court justice during an election year, in order to rush Coney Barrett onto the court in time to end health care for millions.”
Connecticut Attorney General William Tong said Barrett’s nomination could impact fundamental aspects of life for Americans, noting that his office was involved in cases involving, among other topics, coverage for pre-existing conditions like cancer and diabetes, “our clean air and climate,” and “a woman’s right to privacy in her personal healthcare decisions.”
“All roads lead to the Supreme Court. Amy Coney Barrett, if confirmed, will either protect or dismantle some of the most consequential and fundamental rights enjoyed by Connecticut families today. The stakes could not be higher,” said Tong.
Barrett, 48, was nominated to fill the seat of the late Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg. She was considered to be a finalist in 2018 before Trump nominated Justice Brett Kavanaugh for the seat vacated when Justice Anthony Kennedy retired, according to the Associated Press.
She is a Roman Catholic and has seven children, including two adopted from Haiti and a son with Down syndrome, according to the AP. Her husband, Jesse, and her children joined her at the White House Saturday.