Business Insider
Memphis—More than 1,500 alums of Rhodes College said in a letter that they’re “firmly and passionately opposed” to the nomination of Amy Coney Barrett to the Supreme Court, according to the Associated Press.
Barrett, President Donald Trump’s pick to replace the late Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg, graduated from Rhodes College in Memphis, Tennessee, in 1994.
The letter argues that Barrett does not represent the liberal arts school’s values.
“We believe both her record and the process that has produced her nomination are diametrically opposed to the values of truth, loyalty, and service that we learned at Rhodes,” the letter said.
The letter also criticizes representatives at Rhodes who have praised Barrett after Rhodes President Marjorie Hass said in a statement that Barrett’s career has been marked by “professional distinction and achievement,” the AP reported.
The nomination is proving to be contentious as lawmakers on both sides find themselves split. Republicans are largely eager to confirm Barrett while Democrats are calling for the next Supreme Court justice to be decided by the person elected president in November.
The letter was particularly concerned with Barrett’s record surrounding abortion. The 1,513 Rhodes alums who signed the letter argued that Barrett might vote to gut or “seriously curtail” Roe v. Wade, the landmark Supreme Court decision that said abortions are constitutionally supported, the AP reported. At least twice as an appellate judge, Barrett sided with opinions leaning away from abortion rights, according to the AP.
Back in 2006, Barrett signed off on a two-page print ad that called for Roe v. Wade to be overturned. The ad referred to the landmark decision as “barbaric” and called it a “raw exercise of judicial power,” the Guardian reported.
Barrett, if nominated, would give the Supreme Court a 6-3 conservative majority, shifting the court’s ideological balance more to the right.
The letter also accuses Barrett of avoiding questions pertaining to her view on LGBT groups and other marginalized communities.
“Amy Coney Barrett has repeatedly shaded the truth about her own views and past associations,” the letter said, adding that she “has demonstrated a judicial philosophy and record that fails to serve and protect the vulnerable in our society, including immigrants, those in the criminal justice system, and individuals reliant on the Affordable Care Act.”
The Senate Judiciary Committee on Saturday affirmed that it’s prepared to hold hearings on Barrett’s nomination to the bench on October 12.
