A pro-life mother of seven is reportedly one of three finalists on President Donald Trump’s condensed list of top Supreme Court nominees. The president has reportedly narrowed down his initial list of 25 conservative judges to three potential candidates to be nominated to replace pro-abortion Justice Anthony Kennedy.
Although conservative and pro-life organizations have praised the judges on President Trump’s list, pro-life groups have been rallying around Judge Amy Coney Barrett over the last few days. They say she represents the best potential pick President Trump can make to put a conservative jurist on the Supreme Court who will respect the rule of law and not make up laws from the bench. They also appreciate her strong pro-life views and believe adding a pro-life woman to the Supreme Court will help counterbalance the pro-abortion women who are currently votes to keep Roe v Wade and its allowance for unlimited abortions in place.
Trump’s top contenders for the vacancy at this time are federal appeals judges Amy Coney Barrett of Indiana, Brett Kavanaugh and Raymond Kethledge, said a person familiar with Trump’s thinking who was not authorized to speak publicly.
Working closely with a White House team and consulting with lawmakers and outside advisers, Trump has spent the week deliberating on the choice. He conducted interviews on Monday and Tuesday. He has not yet publicly indicated that he has narrowed the list and could still consider others in the mix.
With customary fanfare, Trump plans to announce his selection Monday night, kicking off a contentious nomination process as Republicans seek to shift the court to the right and Democrats strive to block the effort.
Vice President Mike Pence has also met with some of the contenders for the Supreme Court vacancy created by Justice Anthony Kennedy’s retirement, The Associated Press has learned.
The meetings took place in recent days, according to a person familiar with the search process. The person did not specify which candidates Pence met with and spoke on condition of anonymity Wednesday to describe the private search process.
Trump is choosing his nominee from a list of 25 candidates vetted by conservative groups. Earlier in the week, he spoke with seven people on the list. Other contenders that have received serious interest include federal appeals judges Amul Thapar, Thomas Hardiman and Joan Larsen.
The president also spoke by phone with Republican Sen. Mike Lee of Utah on Monday. He’s the only lawmaker on Trump’s list. That call was not characterized by the White House as an interview and Lee is not viewed as a top prospect, though he has some support on Capitol Hill.
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Leading pro-life advocates emailed LifeNews today to explain why they like Barrett.
“I must admit to having a preference, among the 25 well-qualified names the President has listed, for Judge Amy Coney Barrett. This extraordinarily talented woman has served on the 7th Circuit Court of Appeals since last year,” pro-life former presidential candidate Gary Bauer said. “She took her law degree from the University of Notre Dame and clerked for the late Justice Antonin Scalia. She was executive editor of the Notre Dame Law Review. When she was nominated for the Circuit Court last, year, the entire law school faculty at Notre Dame, a wide spectrum of individuals and judicial philosophies, endorsed her.”
Bauer said he appreciates Judge Barrett’s faith in God and her Christian convictions.
“Judge Barrett is a member of a worship group at her local parish called People of Praise. Worship ministries like this one are common among Evangelicals, and over the past few decades more have appeared in the Catholic Church. These groups don’t hold any unique religious beliefs other members of their denomination don’t – they join such groups to seek God’s guidance on the big questions in their lives and to stay accountable,” he said.
Terry Schilling, Executive Director of American Principles Project, is another pro-life advocate who likes Barrett.
“We believe Judge Barrett is the best candidate for the job. Barrett has a proven constitutional judicial philosophy, is not a stealth nominee, has the right experience and credentials, and she’s tested — she was easily confirmed to the 7th Circuit Court of Appeals by the Senate just last year,” he commented.
He added: “She’s also the judge who was attacked mercilessly by liberals for her faith, specifically Sen Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.), who mocked Barrett by declaring, “The dogma lives loudly within you,” yet, despite the malicious opposition, Judge Barrett refused to back down.”
“We need a strong constitutionalist like Judge Amy Barrett to join Justice Neil Gorsuch on the Supreme Court. This appointment is absolutely critical and will have a lasting impact on the tilt of the Court,” Schilling concluded.
