SUPREME COURT JUSTICE

SWORN TO JUSTICE President Trump appoints Judge Amy Coney Barrett to Supreme Court Jessica Golden | Staff Reporter

Photo by Abigail Parker After President Trump appointed Barrett, she attended her cofirmation hearings in the Senate.

The Senate confirmed 26, following the death of therefore especially favored by Judge Amy Coney Supreme Court Justice Ruth religious conservatives. Barrett to the Supreme Bader Ginsburg on Sept. 18, Barrett is the fifth woman Court on Oct. 26, 2020. 2020 at the age of 87. to serve on the Court. The four

Supreme Court Justice Barrett graduated from prior to serve were Sandra Clarence Thomas administered Rhodes College and attended Day O’Connor, Ruth Bader the constitutional oath to law school at Notre Dame. After Ginsburg, Elena Kagan and Barrett after the senate voted college, she clerked for late Sonia Sotomayor. Ginsburg, 52 to 48 but she has yet to take Justice Antonio Scalia before widely-recognized as a feminist the judicial oath, which states her career as a professor and who fought for women’s rights, that the justice will administer went on to teach law at Notre died due to complications of justice regardless of physical Dame for 15 years. Barrett was metastatic pancreatic cancer. appearance or status. confirmed as a federal Judge Barrett is the youngest

President Trump in 2017 after a bipartisan vote justice on the current Supreme nominated Judge Amy Coney by the Senate. Court at 48 years old. This will Barrett for Associate Justice of Barrett is a devout Catholic, allow her to serve for several the Supreme Court on Sept. according to NPR, and is decades.

be independent.”

On October 13, questioning began for Barrett and each of the 22 senators on the judiciary committee had 30 minutes to question Barrett, who avoided answering questions about issues that could be possible court cases.

“Though past nominees have also avoided answering some of the senators’ questions, Barrett took this to a whole new level,” Professor of Legal Studies and Political Science Paul M. Collins Jr. said.

Barrett was asked to recite the five freedoms of the first amendment and was only able to state four.

Democrats are concerned about how Barrett will vote on topics such as abortion, healthcare protections, LGBTQ rights and voting rights, according to The New York Times. “If confirmed [as a United States Supreme Court Justice], I would not assume that role for the sake of those in my own circle and certainly not for my own sake,” Barrett said. “I would assume this role to

Associate Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg dies at age 87 Elena Vincenty | Staff Reporter

Ruth Bader Ginsburg, the second woman appointed to the Supreme Court, passed away Friday Sept. 18 due to complications of metastatic pancreatic cancer. She was 87 years old.

Ginsburg’s time in the Supreme Court started with her junior justice seat in 1993 and over the years she worked up to her last title, associate justice. For many years Ginsburg was the only female justice in the Supreme Court until she was later joined by Sonia Sotomayor and Elena Kagan.

Ginsburg was considered part of the Supreme Court’s moderate-liberal bloc and was best known as a “pioneering advocate for women’s rights,” according to “The New York Times.”

Her most mentioned cases were United States v. Virginia where she wrote the Supreme Court’s landmark decision and her differing opinion on Bush v. Gore which decided the 2000 presidential election.

Ginsburg’s fought cancer previously, in 1999 and 2009, but she never missed a day of oral arguments. “My mother told me to be a lady,” Ginsburg once said. “And for her, that meant be your own person, Photo courtesy of WFU Law School Associate Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg visits Wake Forest University. serve you.”