Dozens Of Amy Coney Barrett's Notre Dame Colleagues Call For Halt To Nomination

Eighty-eight faculty members at the university penned a letter saying Barrett should delay her Supreme Court nomination until after the Nov. 3 election.
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Eighty-eight faculty members at the University of Notre Dame, where Amy Coney Barrett is a law school professor, said she should call for a halt to her Supreme Court nomination until after the election.

In a letter dated Oct. 10 but posted online Tuesday, Barrett’s colleagues congratulated her on her nomination, adding: “It is vital that you issue a public statement calling for a halt to your nomination process until after the November presidential election.”

The signatories hailed from the university’s political science, sociology, history and other departments — none from the law school.

The letter argues for Barrett to take this “unprecedented step,” saying that Americans are already voting in the general election and that moving forward at this stage would “deprive the American people of a voice in selecting the next Supreme Court justice.”

The letter noted that the late Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg’s final wish was that she not be replaced until the next president is in place. Trump nominated Barrett just over a week after Ginsburg’s death.

Senate hearings for Barrett’s confirmation began Monday and continued into Tuesday, with the nominee dodging Democrats’ questions on health care, marriage equality and abortion rights.

Democratic lawmakers have fiercely criticized Republican senators for moving forward with Trump’s nominee so close to the election — especially after Republicans halted former President Barack Obama’s Supreme Court nomination of Merrick Garland in 2016, citing that it was an election year.

“By replacing Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg with someone who will undo her legacy, President Trump is attempting to roll back American’s rights for decades to come,” Sen. Kamala Harris (D-Calif.), a member of the Judiciary Committee and the Democratic vice presidential nominee, said Monday.

Senate Republicans appear to have the necessary majority to confirm Barrett to the nation’s most powerful court. If she’s confirmed, it would cement conservatives’ hold on the court likely for years to come, with major rulings expected soon on health care, abortion, LGBTQ rights and more.

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