Jewish leaders react to Barrett’s confirmation as a Supreme Court Justice

Originally published by The Jerusalem Post
October 27, 2020
Omri Nahmias

WASHINGTON – Jewish organizations at the left and the right reacted on Monday night to the confirmation of Amy Coney Barrett as a Supreme Court Justice. She was sworn in at the White House on Monday night.

The Republican Jewish Coalition (RJC) National Chairman Senator Norm Coleman said that Amy Coney Barrett is highly qualified, fair-minded, and dedicated to the law. “President Donald Trump made a wise choice in nominating her, and we are pleased that the Senate moved swiftly to confirm her to the Court,” Coleman said.

“Having a full complement of nine justices on the Supreme Court is very important to the smooth and effective working of our constitutional system, he added. “The President and the Senate appropriately carried out their duties in putting forward and confirming this nominee.”
Halie Soifer, Executive Director for the Jewish Democratic Council of America (JDCA), responded to the Senate’s confirmation of Amy Coney Barrett as well. “Jewish Dems see the confirmation of Amy Coney Barrett for what it is – a partisan power grab by President Trump and Senate Republicans, which violates the will of the American people, Justice Ginsburg’s dying wish, and the standard Republicans set themselves for Supreme Court nominations in a presidential election year,” she said. “This confirmation will impact generations of Americans, and it’s a ‘shande’ – a shame to our democracy and judiciary.”

She went on to say that Judge Barrett has demonstrated “a total disregard for legal precedent on critical issues such as the Affordable Care Act, equality in marriage, and reproductive freedom, and her views on the law are far outside the mainstream of public opinion.”
National Council of Jewish Women (NCJW) CEO Sheila Katz said in a statement that “the speed in which Judge Amy Coney Barrett was rushed through a Supreme Court vetting process shows that lawmakers can indeed make progress quickly if they care enough about the issue at hand.”
“This confirmation is bad for women, children, and families,” Katz continued. “NCJW’s 180,000 advocates dissent to the confirmation of Judge Barrett. We dissent to the process through which Judge Barrett was confirmed. We dissent to a Senate that refuses to prioritize the American people. We will honor Justice Ginsburg’s dying wish and pick up where she left off.”

Rabbi Jonah Dov Pesner, Director of the Religious Action Center of Reform Judaism, denounced the confirmation of Judge Amy Coney Barrett to the Supreme Court. “The Senate’s confirmation of Judge Amy Coney Barrett to the US Supreme Court is a blow to the health of our democracy and a threat to the rights we have fought for over generations, including universal health care, reproductive rights, LGBTQ equality, and beyond.” Rabbi Pesner said.