azcentral. - I'll vote to confirm Amy Coney Barrett to the U.S. Supreme Court. Here's why
Op-Ed
By Martha McSally
Just four weeks ago, our nation was rocked by the death of Ruth Bader Ginsburg, a legal giant and trailblazer for women across America. As only the second woman to serve on the Supreme Court, Justice Ginsburg bucked stereotypes in the male-dominated legal profession and shattered glass ceilings for generations to come.
It is fitting that her successor, Amy Coney Barrett, has been nominated to continue to push forward in breaking those barriers. When confirmed, Judge Barrett will be only the fifth woman in U.S. history to serve on the nation's high court and the first with school-aged children.
Like Justice Ginsburg, Judge Barrett challenged norms on her path to success, rising to the top of her field while proving to working women across this nation that motherhood, devotion to faith and a demanding career can, in fact, coexist.
That our country has reached a place where someone like Judge Barrett -- a mother of seven, to include two who are adopted and one with special needs -- can reach the pinnacle of her field is reason for all of us to celebrate, regardless of political affiliation.
Amy Coney Barrett is ready, qualified
Unflappable and brilliant, Judge Barrett showed the country last week in her Senate confirmation hearing that she will make an outstanding Supreme Court justice.
Her sheer intellect and vast legal knowledge were on full display, and made all the more impressive as she answered complex legal questions without any notes or books in front of her. She eloquently expressed that the constitutional role of a judge is not to legislate from the bench or impose personal preferences on people or society, but to faithfully interpret the Constitution and laws as written and uphold the rule of law.
Every classroom in America would have benefited from tuning in to get a clear, inspiring lesson in the Constitution and the founders' intended role of the judiciary. Following more than 20 hours of cross-examination and sharp testimony, it is indisputable that Judge Barrett is extremely capable and more than qualified.
I am far from the only one impressed by Judge Barrett's remarkable qualifications. She has built a national reputation as a brilliant legal mind and exemplary jurist. Even lawyers who disagree with her legal philosophy respect her independence and commitment to impartiality and rule of law -- qualities that are imperative to those serving on our highest court.
During her confirmation to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 7th Circuit, words of support flooded in from her students, colleagues and peers of all political stripes. All 34 Supreme Court law clerks who worked alongside Judge Barrett under the late Justice Antonin Scalia wrote a letter of support for her confirmation. The former clerks, including several who served under Justice Ginsburg, described Judge Barrett as "a woman of remarkable intellect and character" who is "smart, honorable, and fair-minded."
Barrett's record, integrity earned my support
Judge Barrett's Notre Dame colleagues wrote a similar letter. Signed by every full-time faculty member of Notre Dame Law School, the letter hailed Judge Barrett as a woman of "discipline, intellect, wisdom, impeccable temperament, and above all, fundamental decency and humanity."
Based on her service on the 7th Circuit, her qualifications and her integrity during last week's confirmation hearings, I wholeheartedly agree.
As a woman who broke barriers and challenged stereotypes myself, I am proud to support Judge Barrett's confirmation. Not only is she an inspiration to women and girls across this country, but she will judge cases based on the meaning of the Constitution and law without deference to her personal preferences.
It is undeniably clear that she is a principled jurist who will execute the duties of justice faithfully and I look forward to her history-making confirmation.
Martha McSally, a Republican, is U.S. senator for Arizona. On Twitter: @SenMcSallyAZ.
Source