- October 21, 2020
Lankford Meets with Supreme Court Nominee Judge Amy Coney Barrett
CLICK HERE for B-roll of Lankford’s meeting with Judge Barrett.
WASHINGTON, DC – Senator James Lankford (R-OK) today met with Judge Amy Coney Barret, nominee for Associate Justice for the US Supreme Court to fill the vacancy of the late-Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg.
“After meeting with Judge Barrett today, hearing her testimony before the Judiciary Committee last week, and reviewing her background information, I’m confident that Judge Barrett is extremely well qualified and will be a fair justice on the Supreme Court,” said Lankford. “Judge Barrett has shown poise, level-headed honesty and decorum throughout this process. Judges are not Republican or Democrat; they are public servants who either believe that the law means what it says or that the law is flexible based on the preferences of a particular judge. While I do not agree with every decision from every court, I always want to know that judges and justices followed the law, not their own preference. That is what I believe Judge Barrett has done and will do.
“Democrats unsuccessfully attempted to vilify this mother of seven children who has strong support from the legal community and her colleagues. I had the opportunity to thank her for willingness to go through this painful process and for her work in over 600 cases as a circuit court Judge. I also thanked Judge Barrett for the example she sets for younger Americans as she unapologetically lives her faith and adjudicates based on the plain reading of our laws and the Constitution. I look forward to supporting Judge Barrett’s nomination when the full Senate considers it in the days ahead.”
Lankford expressed support for President Trump’s nomination of Judge Barrett on September 26 after previously supporting her nomination to fill a vacancy on the Seventh Circuit Court of Appeals in 2017. After the partisan attacks against Judge Barrett’s devout Catholic faith reignited in the media, Lankford spoke on the Senate floor on September 30 in support of Judge Barrett’s ability to practice her faith and serve as a highly qualified member of the Judicial Branch. Judge Barrett has faced days of hearings in the Senate Judiciary Committee and earned a “Well-Qualified” rating from the American Bar Association. Lankford also joined Senator Jim Inhofe (R-OK) to publish an op-ed on October 20 in support of Judge Barrett’s nomination.
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