Amy Coney Barrett says Supreme Court justices are not 'partisan hacks' and blames the media and 'hot takes on Twitter' for public backlash backlash over Texas abortion law
Justice Amy Coney Barrett dismissed concerns that the Supreme Court has become a vehicle for enforcing right-wing policies and blamed the media for how it reports on cases in a speech Sunday.
'My goal today is to convince you that this court is not comprised of a bunch of partisan hacks,' Barrett said to an audience at Kentucky's University of Louisville.
The Supreme Court became a hotbed for controversy last week when it declined to block a restrictive new law in Texas that prevents women from getting an abortion if they are more than six weeks pregnant, a point when many don't even know they are.
The 5-4 ruling prompted a fierce response from Democrats in government and a Justice Department lawsuit against Texas.
Justices Sotomayor, Kagan and Breyer - the court's three liberals - issued scathing dissenting opinions in which they accused their conservative counterparts of burying 'their heads in the sand' with an 'unconstitutional' decision.
But on Sunday, Barrett blamed the media for how it reports on the Supreme Court, the Louisville Courier Journal reports.
'The media, along with hot takes on Twitter, report the results and decisions,' Barrett said. 'That makes the decision seem results-oriented. It leaves the reader to judge whether the court was right or wrong, based on whether she liked the results of the decision.'
U.S. Supreme Court Associate Justice Amy Coney Barrett speaks to an audience at the 30th anniversary of the University of Louisville McConnell Center in Louisville on Sunday
She insisted that 'judicial philosophies are not the same as political parties.'
'To say the court´s reasoning is flawed is different from saying the court is acting in a partisan manner... I think we need to evaluate what the court is doing on its own terms.'
The Trump appointee conceded that she's not immune to personal disagreements with court decisions she helped propel.
'But it's not my job to decide cases based on the outcome I want,' she said.
She added that Justices must be 'hyper vigilant to make sure they´re not letting personal biases creep into their decisions, since judges are people, too.'
Barrett was speaking at the 30th anniversary of the university's McConnell Center, founded by the Senate minority leader himself to provide scholarships to Kentucky students.
Several supporters of abortion rights demonstrated on Sunday outside the Seelbach Hotel, where the private event was held.
Abortion rights supporters protested outside the hotel where Barrett was speaking on Sunday
A protester dressed as a handmaiden, stands outside the Seelbach Hotel
She was asked about the Supreme Court's 'shadow docket,' which came under scrutiny after the Texas decision was announced just after midnight with little explanation for its rationale.
Barrett said it would be 'inappropriate' for her to comment on the case as it could possibly come before the court again.
The justice was introduced at the event by McConnell, who praised her for her 'middle America' roots and not trying to 'legislate from the bench.' Barrett was born in Indiana and is the only current justice who didn't attend Harvard or Yale.
McConnell played a key role in pushing through her confirmation in the last days of the Trump administration following the death of Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg.
She was confirmed by the Senate in a 52-48 vote last year, a little over a month after Ginsburg's death.
Democrats opposed her nomination, arguing that the process was rushed and that the winner of the 2020 presidential election should have been able to choose Ginsburg's replacement.
McConnell´s decision to move forward with Barrett's nomination was a contrast to the position he took in 2016, when he refused to consider President Barack Obama´s choice to fill the seat left vacant by the death of Justice Antonin Scalia in February of that year.
The court's three liberal justices issued scathing dissenting opinions in the Texas ruling in which they accused their conservative counterparts of burying 'their heads in the sand'
McConnell blocked hearings for then-judge Merrick Garland, now Biden´s attorney general, saying the choice should be left to voters in an election year.
Barrett, 49, also spoke about her introduction to the court in the midst of the coronavirus pandemic, saying it 'certainly is a different experience.'
The court has for more than a year been hearing arguments by telephone though it recently announced a return to the courtroom in October.
Barrett described the court as a 'warm, collegial place.' She said that after she was confirmed a colleague brought Halloween candy for her children.
The first mother of school-age children on the high court also spoke about balancing her job and family life.
'I have an important job, but I certainly am no more important than anyone else in the grocery store checkout line,' Barrett said, describing how her relationship with her children - who are not 'particularly impressed' with her high-profile post - helps her stay grounded in her 'regular life' where she is busy 'running carpools, throwing birthday parties, being ordered around.'
When asked what advice she would give to young women who would like to pursue a career in public service, the justice said she would like young women to know it is possible to raise a family and be successful.
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