WMC-TV Memphis
Local lawmakers react to nomination of Amy Coney Barrett for Supreme Court
By WMCActionNews5.com Staff
MEMPHIS, Tenn. (WMC) - Mid-South lawmakers are praising President Donald Trump’s nomination of Judge Amy Coney Barrett to the U.S. Supreme Court.
She currently serves on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit.
Barrett, the former professor at Notre Dame and a graduate of Rhodes College in Memphis, was on the shortlist the last time a Supreme Court became vacant in 2018 -- the last time there was a vacancy on the bench.
If nominated and confirmed, she would be the second Rhodes College graduate to sit on the nation’s highest court after Justice Abe Fortas in the 1960s.
Mississippi Senator Cindy Hyde-Smith released the following statement in response to the nomination:
"President Trump has exercised his right to put forth a nominee to fill a Supreme Court vacancy. In Judge Barrett, I believe President Trump has chosen a qualified conservative jurist who, if confirmed, will bring an important perspective to the Court.
I look forward to being part of her historic and important confirmation process, which will follow precedent and regular Senate order. I take my constitutional ‘advice and consent’ responsibility very seriously, and I will carefully weigh Judge Barrett’s merits and qualifications and vote accordingly.
Filling a vacancy on the U.S. Supreme Court is a solemn process for our nation, and I hope Senate consideration of Judge Barrett will not descend into the dishonorable spectacle that Americans witnessed during the confirmation of Justice Brett Kavanaugh.”
Arkansas Governor Asa Hutchinson said, "Judge Amy Coney Barrett will make an excellent Supreme Court justice,” Governor Hutchinson said. “From her clerkship for the late Justice Antonin Scalia, prestigious career at Notre Dame and judicial experience on the 7th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals, Judge Barrett’s commitment to the rule of law is clear. She is a sound jurist whose years of legal service will bring much-needed diversity to the Supreme Court. President Trump has made a wise choice.”
Tennessee Sen. Lamar Alexander released this statement:
“I have voted to confirm Justices Roberts, Alito, Sotomayor, Gorsuch and Kavanaugh based upon their intelligence, character and temperament. I will apply the same standard when I consider Judge Barrett’s nomination to replace Justice Ginsburg.”
Tennessee State Representative David Kustoff said, “I applaud President Trump’s nomination of Judge Amy Coney Barrett to the Supreme Court. Throughout her career, Judge Barrett has shown an unwavering commitment to the Constitution. As a former law clerk for the late Justice Antonin Scalia, in her private law practice, and as a law professor, Judge Amy Coney Barrett has unique experience and expertise to succeed Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg. Furthermore, I am proud that a graduate of Rhodes College in Memphis has received this nomination from the President. I fully support the President’s selection of Judge Amy Coney Barrett for the Supreme Court and look forward to her confirmation by the United States Senate.”
Tennessee Senator Marsha Blackburn made the following statement:
"Amy Coney Barrett is a respected constitutionalist and an excellent nominee to the U.S. Supreme Court. Much like her mentor, the late Justice Antonin Scalia, she will be a textualist and originalist devoted to upholding the rule of law. She is a jurist we can trust to safeguard our religious liberties at a time when these freedoms are increasingly under attack.
Americans saw firsthand Judge Barrett’s commitment to her values and principles during her confirmation hearing for the U.S Court of Appeals for the 7th Circuit in 2017. Since taking the bench, she has authored nearly 100 opinions.
Beyond her experience on the bench, Judge Barrett is a mother of seven with an impressive legal career. After graduating from Rhodes College in Memphis, Tennessee, she received her law degree from Notre Dame Law School, where she is now a professor.
I look forward to hearing her testimony before the Senate Judiciary Committee in the coming weeks.”