“I am used to being in a group of nine—my family. Nothing is more important to me, and I am so proud to have them behind me,” is set to say of her husband and seven children, according to a copy of the statement released Sunday in advance of the hearing.
The federal appellate judge and Notre Dame law professor will note that her husband of 21 years, Jesse, has been “a selfless and wonderful partner at every step along the way.” Heaping praise on her husband, Barrett will continue, “I am far luckier in love than I deserve.”
Barrett, who clerked for Scalia, will say it was his “reasoning” that shaped her and that his “judicial philosophy was straightforward: A judge must apply the law as written, not as the judge wishes it were.” The late justice, she is expected to say, taught her more than just law and that he was “devoted to his family, resolute in his beliefs, and fearless of criticism.
“Throughout her legal career, Barrett says in the prepared remarks she resolved to maintain the same perspective as Scalia. “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,” Barrett says, according to a copy of her remarks. “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.”
The Senate Judiciary Committee hearings for Barrett will run from Monday through Thursday as Republicans push to confirm her to the Supreme Court before Election Day.
This story is breaking and will be updated.
