President Donald Trump announced his pick to replace the late Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg on the nation's highest court Saturday afternoon.
During a ceremony held in the Rose Garden, Trump said that he has chosen Judge Amy Coney Barrett, a federal appellate judge and Notre Dame law professor, as his third nominee for the Supreme Court.
"Today it is my honor to nominate one of our nation's most brilliant and gifted legal minds to the Supreme Court. She is a woman of unparalleled achievement, towering intellect, sterling credentials and unyielding loyalty to the Constitution, Judge Amy Coney Barrett."
Trump called on lawmakers to give Barrett a "respectful and dignified" hearing.
"I urge all members of the other side of the aisle to provide Judge Barrett with the respectful and dignified hearing that she deserves, and frankly that our country deserves," Trump said during his announcement Saturday afternoon. "I urge lawmakers and members of the media to refrain from personal or partisan attacks. The stakes for our country are incredibly high."
Barrett acknowledged Ginsburg during the ceremony in a speech she gave following the President's nomination.
"Should I be confirmed, I will be mindful who came before me," she said. "The flag of the United States is still flying at half-staff in memory of Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg to mark the end of a great American life.
"Justice Ginsburg began her career at a time when women were not welcome in the legal profession, but she not only broke glass ceilings, she smashed them," said Barrett.
In a statement, McConnell praised Trump's pick.
“Judge Amy Coney Barrett is an exceptionally impressive jurist and an exceedingly well-qualified nominee to the Supreme Court of the United States," McConnell said in a statement.
Barrett, 48, once clerked for the late Justice Antonin Scalia in the late 1990s and was confirmed to her present judgeship on the 7th US Circuit Court of Appeals in 2017. Born in New Orleans in 1972, Barrett attended Notre Dame where she graduated law school. Before becoming a law professor in 2002 at her alma mater, Barrett worked in private practice.
Barrett was previously considered for a SCOTUS spot and was a finalist for the Supreme Court seat that would ultimately go to Brett Kavanaugh in 2018.
Barrett's confirmation will likely come by Election Day, after Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, (R-KY), has said he will bring the nominee for a vote on the Senate floor. Several Republican senators, including Sens. Susan Collins (R-ME) and Lisa Murkowski (R-AL), have gone on record saying they do not support a vote on the nominee before the election. However, McConnell likely has the number of votes he needs to confirm Barrett after Sen. Mitt Romney (R-UT) announced he would support a vote for the nominee.
At 48, Barrett would be the youngest justice on the court, meaning her tenure could last for several decades.
In a statement, Former Vice President Joe Biden urged the Senate to reject Trump's nominee before the election.
"Today, President Trump has nominated Judge Amy Coney Barrett as the successor to Justice Ginsburg’s seat. She has a written track record of disagreeing with the U.S. Supreme Court’s decision upholding the Affordable Care Act. She critiqued Chief Justice John Roberts’ majority opinion upholding the law in 2012.
"The American people know the U.S. Supreme Court decisions affect their everyday lives. The United States Constitution was designed to give the voters one chance to have their voice heard on who serves on the Court. That moment is now and their voice should be heard. The Senate should not act on this vacancy until after the American people select their next president and the next Congress."
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