The U.S. Senate on Monday confirmed President Donald Trump’s nominee to the Supreme Court, Amy Coney Barrett.
Alabama U.S. Sen. Richard Shelby, a Republican, voted in favor of Barrett’s confirmation and delivered a powerful floor speech urging his fellow Senator to vote in support of Barrett’s nomination to serve as the next associate justice on the U.S. Supreme Court.
The Senate confirmed Barrett by a vote of 52 to 48.
“I am proud to have voted to confirm Judge Amy Coney Barrett to serve as an associate justice on the U.S. Supreme Court,” Shelby said. “Throughout my career in the Senate, I have never seen a more eminently qualified judicial nominee. Not only has she demonstrated a deep commitment to the Constitution and its protections established by our Founding Fathers, but she has also displayed incredible integrity, humility, and impartiality. I am confident she will serve our country with honor on our nation’s highest court.”
Alabama Gov. Kay Ivey has also supported Barrett’s cause with a widely distributed op-ed written in favor of Barrett’s confirmation. Ivey applauded the news saying, “Today is a great day for our country and a signal to every little girl – and boy – that the most qualified individual will get the job.”
“I applaud the swift Senate confirmation of Amy Coney Barrett to the Supreme Court of the United States,” Ivey said in a statement. “Amy Coney Barrett’s willingness to serve, despite a hostile political environment, is proof of her strong character and a testament to her commitment to upholding the laws of our country for future generations.”
Ivey warned against a future Biden administration potentially packing the court to undo Trump’s reshaping of the Court.
“Previous suggestions from progressives that we need to fundamentally change the court system is a clear attempt at a political power grab to load the bench with judicial activists, not arbiters of the law,” the governor said. “In the words of the late Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg, ‘Nine seems to be a good number…it would be that – one side saying – when we’re in power, we’re going to enlarge the number of judges, so we would have more people who would vote the way we want them to.’”
Ivey thanked Trump for his choice of Barrett to replace Ginsburg, who died in September.
“I thank the president for this extraordinary selection,” Ivey said. “It is evident that President Trump has put forward a woman who is arguably one of the most qualified picks during the past century. Alabama looks forward to Justice Barrett serving our country with honor and integrity for decades to come. It is my hope and prayer that despite political differences, we can celebrate the tremendous accomplishments of our newest Supreme Court Justice, come together as a nation and continue achieving great success.”
Congressman Mo Brooks, R-Alabama, said, “Justice Amy Coney Barrett’s confirmation today marks a huge win for those of us who believe judges must uphold the Constitution and federal law without inserting personal political views into decisions.”
“In her nomination acceptance speech, Amy Coney Barrett simply explained her judicial philosophy by saying, ‘Judges are not policymakers, and they must be resolute in setting aside any policy views they might hold.’ This perfectly incapsulates the philosophy America needs more of on our federal courts,” Brooks said. “America’s Founding Fathers brilliantly created three branches of government, with each being a check on the other two, and each having a defined role. Congress makes law, the Executive Branch implements law, and the Judiciary interprets and applies law. In my view, America is burdened with too many liberal, activist federal justices and judges who fail to abide by their role as limited by the Constitution. I am pleased President Trump nominated and the U.S. Senate confirmed a judge who understands the importance of limiting her role to that intended by America’s founding fathers.”
“The Senate held a final confirmation vote [Monday] to confirm Judge Amy Coney Barrett to the Supreme Court,” Congresswoman Martha Roby, R-Alabama. “I wish my sincere congratulations to Judge Barrett on her new position serving on the highest court in the land.”
“I send my heartiest congratulations to the new Justice Barrett,” Congressman Gary Palmer, R-Alabama, said. “President Trump could not have chosen a better candidate for the Supreme Court. Her impeccable legal record, faithfulness to the Constitution, and steady demeanor during her Senate hearings all indicate that she will serve our country with distinction and integrity. The confirmation of an eminently qualified, fair, and constitutionalist justice should instill confidence in the American people. I believe that Justice Barrett will refrain from being swayed by the political winds, and that she will enforce the laws as written, reserving the act of legislating to the Congress. I look forward to her service on our nation’s highest court and extend my congratulations to her and her family.”
“I expect great things from Justice Barrett,” said Republican 2nd Congressional District candidate Barry Moore. “She is an incredibly qualified jurist, and her position on the Constitution and the role of the Supreme Court as the final interpreters of the law, not makers of new laws, will be welcome on the Court.”
“She will be a strong voice for common-sense, Constitutional interpretation of laws for years to come,” Moore said. “I’m happy that President Trump did his duty to fill vacancies on the Court as they occur by appointing her rapidly. I’m also happy that the Senate moved forward in a timely manner to confirm her. Now Judge Barrett can take her place as the ninth Justice, and spare us the problems of an evenly-split Court. Given all that’s happened recently, I’d be very surprised if one of Judge Barrett’s first cases didn’t involve issues with the general election on November 3rd. I trust her to rule fairly, and I’m hoping that any issues about the election can be settled quickly by the Court.”
Alabama Republican Party Chairman Terry Lathan said, “Once again, the U.S. Senate has confirmed one of President Donald Trump’s eminently qualified nominees to the United States Supreme Court. Amy Coney Barrett is an excellent addition to the high court. A jurist out of the originalist model, Justice Barrett will decide each case on its merits by overlaying it with the Constitution and not legislating from the bench.”
“We offer our thanks to Senator Richard Shelby who consistently listens to the majority of his constituents,” Lathan said. “Senator Shelby wisely considered Justice Barrett’s sterling credentials and voted ‘yes’ on her confirmation.”
Trump Team Leader and former Republican State Rep. Perry Hooper Jr. said, “This is an Historic Victory for President Trump. This is the third US Supreme Court Justice appointed by the President and confirmed by the US Senate. The President promised he would appoint Conservative Constitutionalist to the US Supreme Court and the President’s promises were kept. This confirmation also confirms Senate Majority Leader, Mitch McConnell’s Legacy by confirming another Conservative Jurist.”
Hooper’s father, Perry Hooper Sr., was the first Republican chief justice of the Alabama Supreme Court since the Reconstruction Era.
“I’m thrilled the Supreme Court will have another Constitutional originalist Justice and the Senate has confirmed Amy Coney Barrett to be Associate Justice of the United States Supreme Court,” said Club for Growth President David McIntosh. “Justice Barrett will be a pro-growth Justice, her judicial philosophy will have a positive impact on limiting agency overregulation, and her confirmation bodes well for economic liberty and property rights. Throughout her confirmation it became clear that the more Americans learn about Barrett, the more they like her, and the confirmation of such an accomplished pragmatic originalist stands in stark contrast to the liberals who want to remake American institutions like the Supreme Court to fit their radical socialist views.”
Barrett currently serves as a federal judge on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit and formerly clerked for Justice Antonin Scalia of the U.S. Supreme Court and Judge Laurence Silberman of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit.
Prior to serving on the federal bench, she began teaching as a professor of law at Notre Dame Law School, where she was awarded the “Distinguished Professor of the Year” award on three separate occasions.
She is Trump’s third Supreme Court appointment.
Justice Clarence Thomas administered the oath of office to Barrett in a ceremony at the White House Monday night. Some commentators have suggested that this new court is the most conservative Supreme Court the country has seen since the 1930s.
