September 25, 2020 at 5:55 pm EDT | by Chris Johnson

Trump selects Amy Coney Barrett as pick for Supreme Court: source

President Trump has selected Amy Coney Barrett, a federal appellate judge and a favorite among religious conservatives, as his choice to replace progressive champion Ruth Bader Ginsburg on the Supreme Court, the Washington Blade has confirmed. {snip} LGBTQ rights groups, wary of Barrett’s writings asserting a judge’s obligation is to place faith about the law, were quick to denounce the choice after the news was made.

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In contrast to Ginsburg, who joined each of the major decisions in favor of LGBTQ rights from the Supreme Court, Barrett has expressed a judicial philosophy suggesting she may undermine LGBTQ rights or rule on the side of religious freedom when it comes into conflict with LGBTQ non-discrimination policy. ... Most tellingly, Barrett in 2015 co-signed a letter with other Catholic women a letter to bishops affirming marriage is between and a woman and the sexual difference between men and women was significant.

“We give witness that the Church’s teachings — on the dignity of the human person and the value of human life from conception to natural death; on the meaning of human sexuality, the significance of sexual difference and the complementarity of men and women; on openness to life and the gift of motherhood; and on marriage and family founded on the indissoluble commitment of a man and a woman — provide a sure guide to the Christian life, promote women’s flourishing, and serve to protect the poor and most vulnerable among us,” the letter says.

Questioned about signing the letter during her confirmation hearting in 2017, Barrett denied it would have any bearing on her legal interpretation of the Constitution should the issue of same-sex marriage come back to the Supreme Court. ... “In the context of same-sex marriages and in any context, my religious beliefs really would not bear on that at all,” Barrett said. “I think one of the great traditions in this country is that judges participate in the law, participate in the decision of cases, and rule even when they disagree with the outcome.’”

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