In a flag-draped White House Rose Garden announcement Saturday afternoon, Judge Amy Coney Barrett was officially chosen by President Trump to sit on the U.S. Supreme Court. She faces a tough confirmation fight. Though, with a solid Republican numerical advantage.

Barrett was joined at the event by her husband Jesse and seven children. Two of the children were adopted from Haiti and the youngest has Down’s Syndrome. The audience was made up of many government and elected officials, most without masks. The president introduced Barrett to an enthusiastic ovation, “Today it is my honor to nominate one of our nation’s most brilliant and gifted legal minds to the Supreme Court. She is a woman of unparalleled achievement, towering intellect, sterling credentials and unyielding loyalty to the Constitution — Judge Amy Coney Barrett.”

He pointed out her sterling academic and professional credentials, noting that many who have worked with her but do not share her views nevertheless have endorsed her for academic honors and the Appeals bench. President Trump also pointed out Judge Barrett would me the first mother with school age children to sit on the high court.

After the president’s introduction Barrett, looking gorgeous and confident in a simple brown dress, gave a heartfelt, poignant, and stirring speech in which she mentioned her husband, her children, Justice Ginsburg, Justice Scalia, and her view that a good jurist does not legislate from the bench, but puts their personal perspectives aside and interprets the law per its applicability to the U.S. Constitution.

Barrett also said she knew 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.”

GOP Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell lauded Barrett in a statement, saying Trump “could not have made a better decision…Judge Amy Coney Barrett is an exceptionally impressive jurist and an exceedingly well-qualified nominee to the Supreme Court of the United States.”

GOP Senate Judiciary Chairman Lindsey Graham said Barrett was “highly qualified in all the areas that matter – character, integrity, intellect, and judicial disposition…As the Chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee, I’m very committed to ensuring that the nominee gets a challenging, fair, and respectful hearing. We move forward on this nomination knowing that the President has picked a highly qualified individual who will serve our nation well on the highest court in the land.”

 

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Oct. 12 is the planned date for the beginning of confirmation hearings. That means Barrett could possibly be confirmed by the end of the month, less than a week before the presidential election.