Why Evangelicals Want Trump to Pick Amy Coney Barrett for the Supreme Court - CBN News Benjamin Gill, Ben Kennedy

Why Evangelicals Want Trump to Pick Amy Coney Barrett for 

the Supreme Court

06-29-2018

CBN News Benjamin Gill,

Ben Kennedy

The retirement of Supreme Court Justice Anthony Kennedy has conservative Christians excited about 

a huge opportunity to shift American laws on issues like religious freedom and abortion. President 

Donald Trump has noted he has a list of 25 names as possible Supreme Court candidates, but there's 

one name that pro-lifers seem to really love.

CBN's Chief Political Correspondent David Brody says evangelical circles are buzzing about 

Amy Coney Barrett.

"Many of my sources, evangelical in nature, love her. They believe that she is the one that if they 

had their dream pick that she would be the one," Brody said on the 700 ClubFriday. "Barrett has 

been very outspoken of her Catholic views and God."

Related


'The Dogma Lives Loudly': Notre Dame President Blasts Feinstein for Attacking Nominee's Faith


A Troubling Message to Those Who Want to Serve: 'Christians Need Not Apply'

Barrett is a mother of seven children and a devout Catholic. At just 46-years-old, Barrett holds 

promise for a potential decades-long term on the bench. She once clerked for Justice Antonin Scalia, 

taught law at Notre Dame, and has reported conservative views about protecting religious freedom.

"If President Trump appoints a woman who embraces the properly defined role for judges, it will 

demonstrate that this approach to judging is compelled by principle and not confined by race or 

gender," said Tom Riddle, Deputy Director of the Edwin Meese III Center for Legal and Judicial 

Studies and Senior Legal Fellow.

A Barrett nomination could face a very tough fight in the Senate. Sen. Diane Feinstein (D-CA) 

opposed Barrett vehemently during her Senate confirmation battle for US Court of Appeals for 

the Seventh Circuit. Feinstein even implemented a religious test, blasting Barrett for her deep 

Catholic faith, calling it "dogma."

"When you read your speeches, the conclusion one draws is that the dogma lives loudly within you 

and that's of concern when you come to big issues that large numbers of people have fought for years," 

Feinstein said.

Feinstein specifically referenced a 2006 graduation speech where Barrett made several references 

to God.

Barrett had told graduates, "No matter how exciting any career is, what is it really worth if you don't 

make it part of a bigger life project to know, love and serve the God who made you?"

Sen. Dick Durbin also probed into Barrett's religious beliefs during that 2017 hearing, asking, "Do 

you consider yourself an orthodox Catholic?"

Barrett did finally win approval for that Seventh Circuit post, and earned the votes of a few critical 

Democrat senators from moderate states. That could be key in her chances for Senate approval if 

she is in fact Trump's pick to replace Kennedy.

Senators Manchin (D-WV) and Donnelly (D-IN) voted to approve Barrett for the Seventh Circuit, so 

Brody reports some believe they might vote for her again.

"Look they already voted for her to be a federal appeals court judge, I understand the Supreme Court 

may be different so to speak but they are already on record voting for her," Brody said.

It turns out there are actually three Democrats facing difficult reelection races who could find it 

difficult to oppose Trump's Supreme Court pick. Manchin, Donnelly, and Sen. Heidi Heitkamp of 

North Dakota. All three of them met with Trump Thursday to discuss his upcoming Supreme Court 

nominee.

"I just think you have to go through a process," Manchin said. "I want qualifications. Somebody 

that's well qualified, understands the Constitution and the rule of law."

Watch interview here: Supreme Court selection

A Troubling Message to Those Who Want to Serve: 'Christians Need Not Apply' - CBN News Charlene Aaron

Amy Coney Barrett grilled about Catholic faith

A Troubling Message to Those Who Want to Serve: 'Christians Need Not Apply'

0-19-2017

CBN News Charlene Aaron

This past summer, Sen. Bernie Sanders, D-VT, grilled President Trump's pick for deputy director of the White House Office of Management and Budget over comments he made about Muslims.

In a conservative blog, Russell Vought, an evangelical Christian, defended Wheaton College for forcing out a professor who said Christians and Muslims worship the same God.

"I'm a Christian, and I believe in a Christian set of principles based on my faith," said Vought at his confirmation hearing.

He added, "That post was to defend my alma mater, Wheaton College, a Christian school that has a statement of faith that includes the centrality of Jesus Christ for salvation."

During Vought's confirmation hearing, Sanders asked if the comments were Islamophobic. Sanders ultimately decided he would not vote for Vought.

Religious Beliefs Used as a 'Litmus Test' for Public Office s to ideas with which they disagree," he said.

Following Vought's confirmation hearing, Jeffress demanded that Sanders apologize or resign.

Did Sanders Cross a Constitutional Line?

In an interview with CBN News, he said, "Here we had an evangelical Christian being questioned and Bernie Sanders got into the religious issue and took issue with this nominee's belief that faith in Jesus Christ is the only to heaven. That is the foundation of biblical Christianity for 2,000 years and Senator Sanders started to lecture this nominee and said he wasn't sure he could vote for him."

Jeffress, a member of the President's Evangelical Advisory Council, said Sanders also crossed a constitutional line.

He explained, "Article Six of the Constitution says government cannot impose a litmus test, a religious litmus test for service. Now you and I can use whatever litmus test we want.  But government can't impose that and that's why I said Senator Sanders needs to apologize for what he said or he needs to resign."

The mistreatment didn't end with Vought.  

Catholic Nominee Grilled Over Religious Beliefs

In September, Sen. Dianne Feinstein, D-CA, applied her own religious test to federal appeals court nominee Amy Coney Barrett.

Barrett, a law professor at Notre Dame and a practicing Catholic, felt pressured to explain how her religious beliefs might affect her legal decisions.

Feinstein specifically referenced a 2006 graduation speech where Barrett made several references to God.

In her speech, Barrett told graduates, "No matter how exciting any career is, what is it really worth if you don't make it part of a bigger life project to know, love and serve the God who made you."

She went on to encourage students to "pray about your career choices before you make them."

Feinstein said in the confirmation hearing, "When you read your speeches, the conclusion one draws is that the dogma lives loudly within you and that's of concern when you come to big issues that large numbers of people have fought for years."

Metaxas: Religious Tests Are 'Frightening'

Conservative author and radio host Eric Metaxas calls what amounts to a religious test, troubling.

"To me the idea that U.S. senators are this ignorant about this incredibly, utterly central element in American freedom, I find frightening and it should be a wakeup call to everybody," he told CBN News.

He said that acts like this must be called out by all sides.

"Americans should not allow leaders to not understand this," said Metaxas.

"You can have different views of faith or whatever but when you don't understand that that is sacrosanct.  In America for 240 years we have said you never go there. That is pure bigotry."

While liberals might consider their actions as just political posturing, Metaxas sees the problem as much more serious.

"When Sen. Feinstein did this recently, I thought, she actually thinks that what she's saying is okay. She thinks it's just politics. It's not just politics. It's fundamentally unconstitutional," he said.

Meanwhile, Jeffress believes the problem is likely to get worse.

"I don't believe that is the call for fatalism and I see that in too many Christians," he said.

"They just throw up their hands. It's all going to go to hell in hand basket, let's just get in our holy huddles and try to encourage one another and hope nobody does anything bad to us. That is not what Christians need to be doing. We are to be on the offense," said Jeffress.

Metaxas says the best way to do that is through prayer.

"The one thing however that we have as Christians is we have the power of prayer and we need to pray against this."

He added, "This is not God's will. It's God's will that everyone be genuinely free and we need to pray hard that in this nation that this would be preserved," he said.

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