Medved: Judge Barrett’s appointment is a triumphant masterstroke
Oct 7, 2020, 11:00 AM | Updated: 12:39 pm
The appointment of Judge Amy Coney Barrett to the United States Supreme Court counts as a masterstroke, and easily one of the best decisions of Donald Trump’s presidency.
In an election season when liberals and media characterize conservatives as old, angry, bigoted, extreme and lacking in empathy, Judge Barrett displays the opposite qualities. At age 48, she’s youthful, a genial consensus builder, and mother of seven – including a special needs child and two adopted kids from Haiti.
On a court dominated for decades by Yale and Harvard graduates, she’s a breath of Midwestern fresh air, beloved by her students at Notre Dame. Most importantly, she’ll give new life to the originalist thinking of her mentor, Justice Antonin Scalia, in stressing what the Constitution actually says, not what judges want it to say.
With Americans losing faith in public institutions, Judge Barrett – soon to be Justice Barrett – can help restore their confidence.