‘I am truly humbled by the prospect’: Amy Coney Barrett accepts Supreme Court nomination

Amy Coney Barrett officially accepted her nomination to fill the Supreme Court vacancy by President Donald Trump in the White House Rose Garden Saturday.

As Barrett accepted the nomination, she remarked on her love of the U.S. Constitution and said she was “truly humbled” by the prospect of sitting on the nation’s highest court.

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“I am deeply honored in the confidence you have placed in me. And I am so grateful to you and the first lady, to the vice president and the second lady, and to so many others here for your kindness on this rather overwhelming occasion,“ Barrett said. ”I fully understand that this is a momentous decision for a president and if the Senate does me the honor of confirming me, I pledge to discharge the responsibilities of this job to the very best of my ability. I love the United States and I love the United States Constitution. I am truly humbled by the prospect of serving on the Supreme Court.“

Barrett said she would not forget the legacy left behind the late Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg, whose seat she would be filling should she be confirmed to sit on the Supreme Court.

“I am truly humbled by the prospect of serving on the Supreme Court,” Barrett said. “Should I be confirmed, I will be mindful of who came before me. 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. For that, she has won the admiration of women across the country and indeed, all over the world.”

The Supreme Court nominee spoke of the “warm and rich” friendship her personal mentor, Justice Antonin Scalia, had with Justice Ginsburg, despite their differences.

“Justices Scalia and Ginsburg disagreed fiercely in print without rancor in person. Their ability to maintain a warm and rich friendship despite their differences, even inspired an opera,” Barrett said. “These two great Americans demonstrated that arguments, even about matters of great consequence need not destroy affection. In both my personal and professional relationships, I strive to meet that standard.”

Barrett went on to add her thanks to her mentor’s family members who were present at the nomination ceremony, where she stated she would carry on in the same spirit Justice Scalia had while serving on the Supreme Court.

“I clerked for Justice Scalia more than 20 years ago, but the lessons I learned still resonate. His judicial philosophy is mine too. A judge must apply the law as written. Judges are not policymakers and they must be resolute in setting aside any policy views they might hold,” she added.

Barrett went on to thank her family and recounted their experiences with learning from home amid the COVID-19 pandemic.

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“Our children obviously make our life very full. While I am a judge, I’m better known back home as a room parent, car pool driver and birthday party planner. When schools went remote last spring, I tried on another hat, Jesse and I became co-principals at the Barrett E-learning Academy. And yes, the list of enrolled students was a very long one,” Barrett said.

“Our children are my greatest joy even though they deprive me of any reasonable amount of sleep. I couldn’t manage this very full life without the unwavering support of my husband Jesse. At the start of our marriage, I imagined that we would run our household as partners as it has turned out, Jesse does far more than his share of the work,” Barrett said.

Barrett said that if she is confirmed to fill the vacant Supreme Court seat, she would “assume this role” to serve the people.

“I would assume this role to serve you. I would discharge the judicial oath, which requires me to administer justice without respect to persons. Do equal right to the poor and rich and faithfully and impartially discharge my duties under the United States Constitution. I have no illusions that the road ahead of me will be easy, either for the short term or the long haul,” Barrett said.