09.26.20

Cantwell Statement on Nomination of Judge Amy Coney Barrett to the Supreme Court

WASHINGTON, DC – Today, U.S. Senator Maria Cantwell (D-WA) released the following statement about the nomination of Judge Amy Coney Barrett to the United States Supreme Court:

“There are 38 days before the election. The U.S. Senate has a constitutional duty to thoroughly review judicial nominees. We should not rush this process.

“There are many critical issues before the Court, and the American public deserves to know the judicial philosophy of any nominee who will be serving with a lifetime appointment to the Supreme Court. Important issues like privacy rights, data rights, voting rights, worker rights, access to health care, and reproductive rights deserve a full discussion. I will be reviewing Judge Barrett’s three-year judicial record and her views on these important legal matters.

“Previously I had voted against Judge Barrett's confirmation to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit because I did not believe her judicial philosophy represented a jurist who would uphold the privacy rights and other rights guaranteed in the U.S. Constitution and in well-established legal precedents.”

A new justice has never been confirmed to the Court so close to an election, and since 1986 it has taken an average of 141 days from a seat becoming vacant to a full Senate vote on a nominee.

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