The Confirmation Hearings and the Appointment of Amy Coney Barrett
The Appointment of Amy Coney Barrett will polarize Americans for generations to come. Barrett is President Trump’s choice to replace the seat of the late Justice Ruth Bader Ginsberg in the Supreme Court of the United States and confirmation hearings are currently underway.
Her appointment will decisively tilt the bench to the right, impacting some of the most fundamental and polarizing issues for millions of Americans -- health care, women’s right to choose, LGBTQ+ rights, and basic civil and voting rights.
What is at stake with these hearings, and with this appointment, is the very future of reproductive justice, future affirmative action, and other strategies designed to restructure the institutions of the United States.
Pivotal political moments have been marked by Supreme Court Decisions. Decisions such as Roe v. Wade and the Woman’s right to choose, which the majority of Americans believe in.
Courts often reflect the changes that have occurred as a result of social movements. These hearings have a great deal to do with what unfolds within the judicial realm, but also within the struggle for justice.
We have experienced efforts to create a court system designed to serve conservatives. If Barrett is confirmed, there will be devastating consequences for the social justice movement for a generation or more.
The movement against racism goes back for many centuries. There is a major consensus that racism must end. The current situation regarding the Supreme Court is not going to shift that field of struggle for justice, freedom and equality.
While the majority of people are making statements against racism and misogyny, Barrett’s confirmation also has impacts to feminism. Barrett has close ties to a Christian organization that believes that men are the “head” of their households by divine right, and that women should “submit” to them.
Her belief system calls into question her ability to fight for women’s rights and “apply the law as written,” as she said she would do.
About Janelle Benjamin: Janelle Benjamin, B.A., J.D., is the Founder & Chief Equity Officer of All Things Equitable Inc. addressing systemic change for equity-seeking groups in the workplace. Learn more about Janelle.
