Judge Amy Coney Barrett
© Reuters / Matt Cashore / Notre Dame UniversityUS Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit Judge Amy Coney Barrett, a law professor at Notre Dame University, poses in an undated photograph obtained from Notre Dame University September 19, 2020
Judge Amy Coney Barrett will likely be the next nominee to the Supreme Court. This has upset those on the left who take issue with her Catholicism and strict adherence to the Constitution.

Following the recent death of Ruth Bader Ginsburg, who served as a justice on the American Supreme Court for many years, interest in her replacement is massive given that it is an election year.

It has already been reported that Amy Coney Barrett has visited President Trump and will likely be his next nominee to the Supreme Court. Mrs Barrett has been a long-time judge and teacher, is a mother of seven, a devout Catholic, and a constitutional originalist. There was even a point when she was a member of the Federalist Society, which is a group of conservative and libertarian advocates for constitutional originalism. In fact, she was a law clerk for the late Antonin Scalia, who may be one of the most famous originalists to ever sit on the Supreme Court.

All of these little details seem to be reasons as to why the political left is not a fan of hers. But we knew that already. When Barrett was being confirmed to the Seventh Circuit Court of Appeals back in 2017, California Senator Dianne Feinstein told her that the "dogma lives loudly within you." The implication was that Barrett's Catholic beliefs would take precedence over her judgments on the law.

Recently, the Washington Post published an article going over several of her past decisions, many of which are not that controversial. She has a history of supporting due process in accusations of sexual misconduct on college campuses. Stating the possibility that a man can be the victim of prejudice in those sorts of Title IX proceedings shouldn't be something that is held against her.

Another article made mention of Barrett prioritizing her devotion to God, as if that would contradict with a prior statement where she stated that she would never impose her own personal convictions upon the law. This seems to indicate a misunderstanding of what these judges are supposed to be doing. The goal of the Supreme Court is to judge the constitutionality of cases that are brought before it.

Up to this point, criticisms of Barrett have largely fallen short. With that said, she has never faced the political pressure of being a Supreme Court nominee. Given the cavalcade of nonsense that we've seen in the past with both Brett Kavanaugh and Clarence Thomas, it is likely that the left-leaning members of the Senate will grill her harshly. I would expect that we will hear more about her religion, alongside scrutiny of constitutional originalism.

What is funny about all of this is that there really aren't very many good arguments that her beliefs compromise her ability to do the job, nor against her adherence to the Constitution. If the point of the Supreme Court is to make judgment calls based on the Constitution and whether or not a law adheres to it, wouldn't you want someone on the court whose priority is exactly that?

I do not believe that those on the left want that. Similar to their gripes with current Justice Neil Gorsuch, it seems they would prefer someone who subscribes to "living document" theory. This is a theory that completely ignores the fact that the Constitution is a legal document with legal definitions, and as such is meant to be the concrete foundation on which all law in the United States must respect.

On top of that, I am hard-pressed to find any decision that Barrett has made in her career that demonstrates her putting her beliefs as a Catholic above doing her job. It should not be a shock that a Christian of any denomination states that their priority is God. When you submit yourself to the will of an omnipotent, omniscient, and omnipresent God, everything else is suddenly less important. However, there is zero evidence to support the idea that Barrett would forsake her own country and her service to it.

No matter which way you slice it, if Amy Coney Barrett is Donald Trump's nominee to the Supreme Court, she should prepare to have every single element of her life scrutinized by both the press and the Senate. This is unfortunate, but ever since Robert Bork it is a reality that a conservative or libertarian nominee to the Supreme Court will have to go through hell before they take the seat.

If the criticisms and questions of Barrett's service we have seen already are any indication, this will end badly for the left. Because each and every accusation will likely shame Barrett for her belief in God and her devotion to the United States of America. And what is wrong with that?

Whether or not she is confirmed, the process is likely to be a commentary on whether or not there is any sanity left in American politics.
Micah Curtis is a game and tech journalist from the US. Aside from writing for RT, he hosts the podcast Micah and The Hatman, and is an independent comic book writer. Follow Micah at @MindofMicahC