U.S. Senator Joni Ernst (R-IA), a member of the Senate Judiciary Committee, spoke today about Judge Amy Coney Barrett, the president’s nominee to the Supreme Court, and urged her colleagues across the aisle to join her in supporting Barrett’s nomination.
Ernst questioned Judge Barrett during last week’s confirmation hearings, inviting Judge Barrett to discuss her judicial philosophy and offer advice for young women and aspiring lawyers.
Senator Ernst’s full remarks are below:
“Judge Amy Coney Barrett is a wise, experienced, compassionate, and strong woman. And this past week, Iowans and all Americans had the chance to see that.
“No matter the question or the topic, she was calm, cool, and collected.
“She invoked the rule set by the late Justice Ginsburg in providing no hints, previews, or forecasts as to how she would decide any given case. That’s how judges should act, because, as Judge Barrett points out, Judges aren’t legal pundits, their role is to rule on the law.
“And that certainly seemed to frustrate some folks. It’s like they wanted that big TV moment to score just one more point on the political scoreboard this election cycle.
“They weren’t focused on understanding Judge Barrett’s judicial philosophy and temperament.
“Mr. President, what has become crystal clear to me throughout this process is that Judge Barrett’s academic and professional qualifications are above reproach.
“As a law professor at Notre Dame – her alma mater – she authored numerous academic articles on the topic of Constitutional law.
“As a 7th circuit court judge, she has authored 79 majority opinions. Of those majority opinions, they have been unanimous 95% of the time.
”Judge Barrett has shown a commitment to the law and Constitution, and an even hand in applying the sacred tenants of our democracy.
“Like most Iowans, I firmly believe in the role of our Supreme Court – it is the defender of our Constitution.
“And at the end of the day, that’s my test for a Supreme Court justice. Will she defend the Constitution?
“Why is this so important? Because far too often, politicians in Washington want the Supreme Court to be a “super legislature” to push policy that can’t make it through Congress. But that’s not the job of the Supreme Court.
“We must resist with all effort the push to make this happen now and in the future.
“Last week, Judge Barrett demonstrated that she would be a defender of the Constitution.
“A soon-to-be Justice who will rule based on the Constitution…who will leave the policy decisions to Congress and decide the cases at hand, not the political winds of the moment.
“This week, the Senate will consider adding another woman to the highest Court in the land.
“This is something all women of every political party or persuasion should be applauding.
“But it seems like the Left can’t bring themselves to see this nomination as a great story for women.
“I’m struck by the irony of how demeaning to women some of the Left’s accusations really are.
“That Judge Barrett, a working mother of 7, with a strong record of professional and academic accomplishment, couldn’t possibly respect the goals and desires of today’s women.
“The great freedom of being an American woman is that we can decide how to live our lives.
“Whom to marry, what kind of person we are, and where we want to go. I served in the military – something not exactly popular at various points in America’s history. We don’t have to fit into the narrow definition of womanhood. We create our own path.
“So folks, I implore you to recognize this nominee for who she is.
“Judge Barrett has shown that she has the utmost qualifications and the character to serve on our nation’s highest court.
“She is a role model for young women in Iowa and all around this nation.
“A wife, a mom of seven, a woman of faith, a Midwesterner. She did not receive her law degree from an Ivy League school. Some folks may not like that. But I appreciate someone, like myself, who has lived and learned beyond America’s upper crust and coastlines, and has seen America through the eyes of a farmer and the soul of a railman…an accomplished jurist, and truly a wonderful and decent person.
“Amy Coney Barrett is demonstrating to the world – that this – becoming a Supreme Court Justice – is what a mom can do.
“I look forward to supporting her nomination, and I urge my colleagues to do the same.”
