Over 200 conservative groups push Senate to move ahead on Barrett for Supreme Court
Over 200 conservative groups have signed a letter urging the Senate to move forward with the confirmation of Judge Amy Coney Barrett to the Supreme Court, after two members of the Senate Judiciary Committee tested positive for the coronavirus in recent days.
The letter, obtained by McClatchy, is signed by a broad coalition of interest groups hoping to present a united conservative front to Senate Republicans who must hold on to nearly all of their votes to get Barrett confirmed to the high court.
“It is not often that such a broad community of stakeholders, representing free-market, family, faith, education, business, and judicial interests comes together to speak with a clear and singular voice. Now is such a time,” the letter said.
“We firmly believe she possesses the judicial temperament and philosophy necessary to act as a bulwark for our Constitution and institutions of government,” the letter stated. “Judges who inject their own policy views into their decisions are not upholding the rule of law — they are creating new laws. We elect you, our senators, to do that. Judges have no legitimate hand in such business.”
President Donald Trump nominated Barrett, a conservative appellate judge, last month at a White House event that now appears to have been a superspreader for COVID-19, with several top Trump administration officials, Republican lawmakers and guests testing positive in the days that followed.
Barrett’s Senate Judiciary Committee confirmation hearing is scheduled to begin Oct. 12. Trump, who was diagnosed with the coronavirus on Thursday, has been pushing for a speedy confirmation process for Barrett during his illness.
Spearheaded by Americans for Prosperity, a group backed by Charles Koch, the letter was signed by Brent Gardner of AFP, David McIntosh of Club for Growth, Jessica Anderson of Heritage Action, Marjorie Dannenfelser of the Susan B. Anthony List, Carrie Severino of the Judicial Crisis Network and Grover Norquist with Americans for Tax Reform, among others.
Several state-based conservative groups signed the letter, as well, including the Kansas Policy Institute, the California Policy Center and the Texas Public Policy Foundation.
The groups said they trust that Barrett will “respect our Constitution, protect our freedoms, defend the separation of powers, interpret the law as written and not legislate from the bench.”
“We therefore ask the members of the Judiciary Committee to favorably report Judge Barrett’s nomination to the Senate Floor. Likewise, we urge each senator to vote to confirm this highly qualified judge to the Supreme Court,” the letter concluded.
Their push comes amid new polling that indicates Democrats are losing public support in their effort to block Barrett’s confirmation before the election.
A poll released Wednesday by Politico and Morning Consult, conducted among roughly 2,000 registered voters, found that 46 percent of voters support proceeding with Barrett’s confirmation — up 9 percentage points from when Trump nominated her on Sept. 26.
Sen. Lindsey Graham of South Carolina, the Republican chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee, said on Monday that he had spoken with Trump and that they were in agreement that Barrett’s confirmation hearing should proceed. Three Republican senators – Thom Tillis of North Carolina, Ron Johnson of Wisconsin and Mike Lee of Utah – have tested positive for the coronavirus. Tillis and Lee are on the Judiciary Committee.
Two Senate Republicans have said publicly they would oppose Barrett’s confirmation at this time, citing the proximity to the Nov. 3 elections. Losing two Republican votes is not enough to derail her confirmation.
This story was originally published October 8, 2020 at 5:45 AM.
