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Shelby meets with Barrett, is “confident” she is the right choice to serve on Supreme Court

“I have no doubt that Judge Amy Coney Barrett will be an excellent addition to the Supreme Court,” Shelby said.

United States Sen. Richard Shelby, R-Alabama, met with President Donald Trump’s Supreme Court nominee, Judge Amy Coney Barrett, on Thursday. Following the meeting, Shelby said he strongly supports Barrett’s nomination, adding that Barrett “will be an excellent addition to the Supreme Court.”

“After speaking with Judge Barrett, I am confident that she is the right choice to serve on the Supreme Court,” Shelby said. “Judge Barrett is exceptionally qualified for this role and maintains strong conservative values and a deep commitment to our Constitution. I have no doubt that Judge Amy Coney Barrett will be an excellent addition to the Supreme Court.”

“I look forward to supporting Judge Barrett’s nomination to serve on our nation’s highest court, and I urge my colleagues to do the same,” Shelby continued.

Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Kentucky, has announced that Barrett will get a vote on the Senate floor. Senate Democrats have objected to the nomination and say it should not happen before the results of the Nov. 3 general election have been decided.

Trump defended his decision to nominate Barrett to the Supreme Court during Tuesday’s presidential debate with Democratic nominee, former Vice President Joe Biden.

“Elections have consequences, we have the Senate, and we have the White House,” Trump said. “She is outstanding. … We won the election, and we have the right to do it.”

Since her nomination by Trump, Barrett has been making routine visits to Capitol Hill to meet with senators. Many Democratic Senators, following the lead of Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-New York, are refusing to meet with Barrett much like Republicans refused to meet with President Barack Obama’s 2016 nominee to the court, Judge Merrick Garland.

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Barrett, if confirmed, will fill the vacancy created by the death of Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg.

Barrett currently serves as a federal judge on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit. She clerked for Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia as well as Judge Laurence Silberman of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit.

Before and while serving on the federal bench, she was a professor of law at Notre Dame Law School. Barrett is a devout Catholic and mother of seven.

Shelby said that Barrett’s excellent academic achievements, legal expertise and judicial record prove that she is eminently qualified to serve on the Supreme Court.

It is the constitutional responsibility of the U.S. Senate to provide “advice and consent” to the president on all executive nominations, including judges to federal courts, appeals courts and the Supreme Court.

Shelby has served in the Senate since 1987. All current Supreme Court justices and Ginsburg who just died were appointed and confirmed during Shelby’s tenure.

Brandon Moseley is a former reporter at the Alabama Political Reporter.

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