With tonight’s cloture vote on Notre Dame University Law Professor Amy Barrett’s nomination to the 7th Circuit Court of Appeals, Bob Casey had a clear choice to make. And instead of siding with religious liberty, Casey voted with his anti-religious freedom colleagues to block a vote on Professor Barrett’s confirmation.
During Professor Barrett’s confirmation hearing, Judiciary Committee Democrats posed questions regarding Barrett’s Catholic faith, with California Senator Dianne Feinstein concluding “[T]he dogma lives loudly within you. And that’s of concern when you come to big issues that large numbers of people have fought for for years in this country.” Democrats’ attempt to impose a religious test on our courts came under fire immediately. The President of Notre Dame University called Feinstein’s questioning “chilling.” The President of Princeton University imploredthe Senate to evaluate Barrett and other nominees “on the basis of their professional ability and jurisprudential philosophy, not their religion.” And Harvard Law professor Noah Feldman wrote that “Senator Dianne Feinstein owes a public apology to judicial nominee Amy Coney Barrett — and an explanation to all Americans who condemn religious bias.”
“Senate Democrats’ attempt to impose a religious test on the federal bench is shameful, and flies in the face of our Constitution,” said NRSC Spokesman Bob Salera. “Bob Casey’s refusal to stand up to his colleagues, who believe a nominee’s religious beliefs should disqualify them from serving as a judge, will not soon be forgotten by Pennsylvania voters.”