Supreme Court nominee Judge Amy Coney Barrett will honor her mentor, the late Justice Antonin Scalia, and his judicial philosophy that she tries to mirror, according to her opening statement she is to deliver at Monday’s confirmation hearing.
The four-page opening remarks, obtained by The Washington Times, highlight Judge Barrett’s key lesson she learned from Scalia to “apply the law as written, not as the judge wishes it were.”
“Justice Scalia taught me more than just law. He was devoted to his family, resolute in his beliefs, and fearless of criticism. And as I embarked on my own legal career, I resolved to maintain that same perspective. There is a tendency in our profession to treat the practice of law as all-consuming, while losing sight of everything else. But that makes for a shallow and unfulfilling life. I worked hard as a lawyer and a professor; I owed that to my clients, my students, and myself. But I never let the law define my identity or crowd out the rest of my life,” her remarks read.
The federal judge, who currently sits on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 7th Circuit, will tell the Senate Judiciary Committee that the courts must enforce the law, which is a critical component to a free society.
But Judge Barrett stresses the courts do not solve every problem because that is the job of politicians elected by the people.
“Cases are not like statutes, which are often named for their authors. Cases are named for the parties who stand to gain or lose in the real world, often through their liberty or livelihood,” Judge Barrett’s opening statement reads.
