(The Center Square) – Twenty-four Republican governors penned a letter to U.S. Senate leadership urging a quick confirmation of Judge Amy Coney Barrett to the U.S. Supreme Court.
The letter, dated Thursday, was sent to Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Kentucky; Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-New York; Senate Judiciary Committee Chairperson Lindsey Graham, R-South Carolina; and Judiciary Committee Ranking Member Dianne Feinstein, D-California.
“As elected leaders of our states, we support a judicial philosophy like Judge Barrett’s that respects the roles of coequal branches of government and protects powers reserved to the states,” the letter reads.
Justices of the Supreme Court are nominated by the president with advice and consent of the Senate. State governors do not play a role in confirmation of Supreme Court justices. Hearings considering Barrett’s confirmation are scheduled to begin Monday in the Senate Judiciary Committee.
Four Republican governors did not sign the letter: Vermont Gov. Phil Scott, New Hampshire Gov. Chris Sununu, Massachusetts Gov. Charles Baker and Maryland Gov. Charles Baker.
Several governors who signed the letter have made statements in support of Barrett’s confirmation.
“I think Amy Coney Barrett is a highly qualified candidate,” Tennessee Gov. Bill Lee said during a recent news conference, highlighting Barrett’s connection to Tennessee as a graduate of Rhodes College in Memphis. “I believe she also … has a desire to uphold the principles that the vast majority of Tennesseans uphold, typically, regarding Second Amendment rights and the right to life. I believe she is a highly qualified candidate, and I look forward to her swift confirmation.”
South Carolina Gov. Henry McMaster shared his support for Barrett’s confirmation on Twitter.
“Amy Coney Barrett is an excellent choice by President [Donald Trump]. I’m confident she will serve on the Supreme Court with distinction – guided by the Constitution and the rule of law,” McMaster tweeted.
“Judge Amy Coney Barrett is a remarkable individual who will make an outstanding Supreme Court Justice. Her proven legal brilliance is matched by her exceptional character and unflinching commitment to the U.S. Constitution,” Texas Gov. Greg Abbott said in a statement.
“President Trump could not have selected a more impressive nominee to the U.S. Supreme Court than Judge Amy Coney Barrett,” Arizona Gov. Doug Ducey said. “A brilliant jurist and respected legal scholar, Judge Barrett has been unwavering in her commitment to Constitutional originalism. I enthusiastically join my fellow governors in calling on the U.S. Senate to promptly confirm Judge Amy Coney Barrett.”
Signatories of the letter include: Abbott, Ducey, Lee, McMaster, Gov. Kay Ivey of Alabama, Gov. Mike Dunleavy of Alaska, Gov. Asa Hutchinson of Arkansas, Gov. Ron DeSantis of Florida, Gov. Brain Kemp of Georgia, Gov. Brad Little of Idaho, Gov. Eric Holcomb of Indiana, Gov. Kim Reynolds of Iowa, Gov. Tate Reeves of Mississippi, Gov. Mike Parson of Missouri, Gov. Pete Ricketts of Nebraska, Gov. Doug Burgum of North Dakota, Gov. Ralph Tores of the Commonwealth of the Northern Marina Islands, Gov. Mike DeWine of Ohio, Gov. Kevin Sitt of Oklahoma, Gov. Wanda Vazquez Garced of the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, Gov. Kristi Noem of South Dakota, Gov. Gary Herbert of Utah, Gov. Jim Justice of West Virginia and Gov. Mark Gordon of Wyoming.
By Vivian Jones | The Center Square
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Reposted with permission
