Notre Dame Faculty Call on Barrett to Press Pause on Nomination Process Until After Election

Faculty members at the University of Notre Dame are urging President Donald Trump’s Supreme Court nominee Judge Amy Coney Barrett to wait until after the upcoming presidential election to move forward with her nomination process.

The faculty penned a letter to Barrett congratulating her for her nomination while imploring her to “halt” her nomination process.

“We congratulate you on your nomination to the United States Supreme Court. An appointment to the Court is the crowning achievement of a legal career and speaks to the commitments you have made throughout your life. And while we are not pundits, from what we read your confirmation is all but assured,” the letter reads.

It adds, “That is why it is vital that you issue a public statement calling for a halt to your nomination process until after the November presidential election.”

The faculty listed three reasons as to why they are making the request.

They noted more than 7 million Americans have already cast their ballots and more are likely to vote before election day.

According to the faculty members, the “rushed nature” of Barrett’s nomination process “may effectively deprive the American people of a voice in selecting the next Supreme Court justice.”

They made it clear Barrett is not responsible for the “anti-democratic machinations” driving her nomination.

The letter notes the same Republican senators speeding up her nomination process refused to consider President Obama’s nominee during the 2016 presidential election, Merrick Garland.

The authors mention the late Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg’s dying wish for her seat to remain open until the new president takes office.

Barrett previously praised Ginsburg as “a woman of enormous talent and consequence, whose life of public service serves as an example to us all.”

The letter suggests given the nature of Barrett’s admiration of Ginsburg, she make the decision to pause the nomination process.

The faculty members argued her nomination will only aggravate already existing wounds across the nation amid the coronavirus pandemic and racial unrest.

“We’re asking a lot, we know. Should Vice-President Biden be elected, your seat on the court will almost certainly be lost. That would be painful, surely. Yet there is much to be gained in risking your seat,” the letter reads.

It continues, “You would earn the respect of fair-minded people everywhere. You would provide a model of civic selflessness. And you might well inspire Americans of different beliefs toward a renewed commitment to the common good.”