Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., kicked off the question-and-answer portion of Supreme Court nominee Judge Amy Coney Barrett’s confirmation hearing by zeroing in on her judicial philosophy, as well as comparisons to the late conservative icon Justice Antonin Scalia. . . .

View Comments (3)

“So in English, that means that I interpret the Constitution as a law, that I interpret its text as text, and I understand it to have the meaning that it had at the time people ratified it,” Barrett said. “So that meaning doesn’t change over time and it’s not up to me to update it or infuse my own policy views into it.”

Graham then referenced Scalia, for whom Barrett clerked early in her career, asking how she would react to being called a female version of Scalia.

“I would say that Justice Scalia was obviously a mentor, and as I said when I accepted the president’s nomination, that his philosophy is mine too,” Barrett said. “You know he was a very eloquent defender of originalism, and that was also true of textualism, which is the way that I approach statutes and their interpretation.” . . .

“I want to be careful to say that if I’m confirmed you would not be getting Justice Scalia, you would be getting Justice Barrett,” she said. “And that’s so because originalists don’t always agree, and neither do textualists.”

Barrett illustrated her point by referencing the disagreements Scalia had with Justice Clarence Thomas, which showed that originalism is “not a mechanical exercise.”

The originalist approach is usually supported by Republicans, who have warned against having judges who take a more activist approach to the law by interpreting it through an ideological lens. Barrett said that she is capable of putting her personal views aside and applying the law as it was written.

So may all Your enemies perish, O Eternal One! But may those who love You be like the sun, rising and going forth with power! (Judges 5:31)

God didn’t allow anyone to tyrannize them; He rebuked kings in order to protect His people:  “Do not lay a hand on My anointed people; do not do any harm to My prophets.” (Psalm 105: 14-15)

(Excerpt from Fox News. Article by Ronn Blitzer. Photo Credit: Getty Images.)

What did you think about Barrett’s explanation? Discuss in the comments!