President Donald Trump has reportedly told those close to him that he is “saving” Judge Amy Coney Barrett to take Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg’s seat if it becomes available.
According to Axios, Trump has told multiple people: “I’m saving her for Ginsburg.”
“Trump used that exact line with a number of people, including in a private conversation with an adviser two days before announcing Brett Kavanaugh’s nomination,” Axios added. “If he gets to replace Ginsburg, especially with Barrett, he would cement a young, reliably conservative majority that could last for decades.”
A source familiar with the matter told Axios: “The Supreme Court judicial selection process with the president is a very fluid one. He floats in and out of these discussions over a period of time.”
Ginsburg, 86, has had multiple serious health problems including three bouts with cancer, and critics have often questioned her mental sharpness in recent years.
Daily Wire Editor-in-Chief Ben Shapiro wrote the following about Barrett in 2018: “Barrett’s nomination to the 7th Circuit became a cause celebre when Democrats began suggesting that her Catholicism was a bar to her ability to be an objective judge. She believes that life begins at conception, and signed a letter from the Becket Fund criticizing Obamacare’s requirement that employers provide contraceptive coverage, calling it a “grave violation of religious freedom.” Barrett has written in great depth on Justice Scalia’s originalism; she’s evidenced support for textualism as well. She clerked for Scalia.”
While Barrett was being considered to replace Justice Anthony Kennedy, National Review highlighted the following “notable matters” from Barrett’s career:
- At Notre Dame, Barrett taught and researched in the areas of federal courts, constitutional law, and statutory interpretation. Her scholarship in these fields has been published in leading journals, including the Columbia Law Review, Virginia Law Review, and Texas Law Review. Her recent publications include Congressional Insiders and Outsiders, U. Chi. L. Rev. (forthcoming 2017), Originalism and Stare Decisis, 92 Notre Dame Law Review (forthcoming 2017) and Congressional Originalism, 19 U. Penn J. of Const. Law (2017).
- From 2010-2016, she served by appointment of the Chief Justice on the Advisory Committee for the Federal Rules of Appellate Procedure.
Ginsburg came under fire in 2016 for revealing her blatant political bias when she attacked then-presidential candidate Donald Trump.
“He is a faker,” Ginsburg said. “He has no consistency about him. He says whatever comes into his head at the moment. He really has an ego. … How has he gotten away with not turning over his tax returns? The press seems to be very gentle with him on that.”
Trump responded to Ginsburg’s comments with a barrage of tweets, writing:
“Justice Ginsburg of the U.S. Supreme Court has embarrassed all by making very dumb political statements about me. Her mind is shot – resign!”
“Is Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg going to apologize to me for her misconduct? Big mistake by an incompetent judge!”
“Even the @NYTimes and @WashingtonPost Editorial Boards condemned Justice Ginsburg for her ethical and legal breach. What was she thinking?”
“If I win the Presidency, we will swamp Justice Ginsburg with real judges and real legal opinions!”
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