Thursday, September 07, 2017

7th Circuit Nominee Questioned On Religious Beliefs and Judicial Duties

The Senate Judiciary Committee yesterday held hearings on the nominations of four federal judges and the nominee to head the Justice Department's Civil Rights Division. (Video of full hearings).  One of the nominees, Notre Dame Law Professor Amy Coney Barrett, tapped for a seat on the U.S. 7th Circuit Court of Appeals, faced extensive questioning stemming from a background report from the Alliance for Justice. That report focuses in part on a 1998 law review article titled Catholic Judges in Capital Cases that was co-authored by Barrett.  This led to several exchanges with senators on the role a judge's religious beliefs play in judicial decision making. Daily Caller reports on the hearing.