judiciary Justice Amy Coney Barrett insisted Sunday that the judiciary isn’t as partisan an institution as many outside observers make it out to be, as senate continue to direct their ire at the tribunal after multiple favorable decisions for Republicans in recent weeks.
“My goal today is to convince you that this court is not comprised of a bunch of partisan hacks,” Barrett said, according to the Louisville Courier Journal.
“The media, along with hot takes on Twitter, report the results and decisions… That makes the decision seem results-oriented,” Barrett added, according to the Courier Journal. “And here’s the thing: Sometimes, I don’t like the results of my decisions. But it’s not my job to decide cases based on the outcome I want.”
“Judicial philosophies are not the same as political parties,” Barrett also said.
The justice made the remarks at the McConnell Center at the University of Louisville. Senate Minority Leader mitch-mcconnell” target=”_blank”>Mitch McConnell<
The youngest justice’s remarks come at a time when the court is under fire from Democrats who are railing against its recent decisions, especially a case about a Texas judiciary law in which the Supreme Court allowed the law to go into effect while litigation is pending in lower courts.
“Republicans promised to overturn Roe v Wade, and they have,” alexandria-ocasio-cortez” target=”_blank”>Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez<
“To say the court’s reasoning is flawed is different from saying the court is acting in a partisan manner,” Barrett said. “I think we need to evaluate what the court is doing on its own terms.”
Democrats also say their antipathy toward the court is rooted in actions from the GOP-controlled senate” target=”_blank”>Senate< nominee Merrick Garland for several months before the 2016 presidential election and confirmed Barrett in just weeks before the 2020 election. McConnell says the situation was different in 2020 because the Senate and presidency were controlled by the same party. Democrats say that’s a flimsy argument meant only to justify the GOP’s cold political calculations.
Associate Justice Stephen Breyer poses during a group photo of the ustices at the Supreme Court in Washington, April 23, 2021. Breyer has emphasized in recent months that packing the Supreme Court could decrease its perceived legitimacy.
(Erin Schaff/Pool via REUTERS/File Photo)
Barrett did allow Sunday that she and her fellow justices can make mistakes and said they must be “hyper vigilant to make sure they’re not letting personal biases creep into their decisions, since judges are people, too.”
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Barrett is not the only justice to make public remarks in recent days. Justice Stephen Breyer has been on a media tour that included an appearance on “Fox News Sunday.” Breyer, appointed by former President Clinton, has also been a target of liberals recently.
Progressive Democrats want the justice to retire before the 2022 midterms so Democrats can replace him before Republicans have a chance to retake the Senate. They are also upset at Breyer for a series of comments he’s made warning against their court-packing schemes.
“Well, if one party could do it, I guess another party could do it,” Breyer said of court-packing on “Fox News Sunday.” “On the surface, it seems to me you start changing all these things around and people will lose trust in the court.”
Fox News’ Ronn Blitzer, Sam Dorman and the Associated Press contributed to this report.
