How Justice Amy Coney Barrett is wielding enormous influence on the Supreme Court
- Barrett, a Trump nominee, gave conservatives a 6-3 advantage when she joined the court in 2020.
- She replaced the late Associate Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg, who had become an icon on the left.
- Because of that switch, Barrett’s vote likely made the difference in two major abortion cases.
WASHINGTON – Three months before the Supreme Court ended a historic term in late June, Associate Justice Amy Coney Barrett – its newest conservative – asked Americans to keep an open mind as they passed judgment on the high court’s work.
“You should read the opinion and see, well, does this read like something that was purely results driven and designed to impose the policy preferences of the majority?” Barrett asked at the Ronald Reagan Presidential Foundation and Institute event. “Or does this read like it actually is an honest effort and persuasive effort – even if one you ultimately don’t agree with – to determine what the Constitution and precedent requires?”