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Amy Coney Barrett has been officially nominated by President Donald Trump to fill the spot vacated by the death of Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg on the United States Supreme Court. Barrett had been said to be a front-runner during the past week. She was included on Trump's list of potential Supreme Court nominees. At 48, Barrett would be youngest current judge on the Supreme Court.
It has been previously reported that Trump appears to be interested in filling Ginsburg's seat before the Nov. 3 election. Since Barrett has already been vetted by the Senate in recent years, it would likely allow for a quicker vote for confirmation. Barrett, who is conservative, is also likely to be popular among Republicans in the United States Senate. There would only need to be a majority vote to confirm Barrett, but there are currently 53 Republicans in the Senate. It has been reported that two of those have expressed that they didn't want to vote until after the election. There may also be some Democrats who would vote to confirm Barrett.
If Barrett is indeed confirmed, she will be the third justice on the Supreme Court to be nominated by Trump. The Supreme Court has been pretty even in recent years. Five of the judges have been viewed as conservatives. Ginsburg, who was nominated to the Supreme Court by President Bill Clinton, was viewed as a conservative. Chief Justice John Roberts, who is viewed to be a conservative, has been known to vote with the more liberal justices. Barrett's appointment would mean that two-thirds of the Supreme Court would be conservatives. This shift could potentially impact future decisions. Since the death of Ginsburg, there has been concern how the conservative majority on the Supreme Court could potentially change the Roe v. Wade decision, which was decided in 1973.
More on Barrett: Barrett is currently a judge for the United States Court of Appeals for the 7th Circuit. She was nominated for that position by Trump in 2017. Barrett, 48, was born in New Orleans, Louisiana. She currently lives in Indiana with her husband and children. She married Jesse Barrett, who is also a lawyer, in 1999 and the couple has seven children. Barrett is said to be Catholic. Trump said in his speech to nominate Barrett that she would be the first mother of school-age children ever to serve on the Supreme Court.
Barrett is a graduate of Rhodes College and the Notre Dame School of Law. She has also taught at Notre Dame. She has previously worked in the Supreme Court as a clerk for Justice Antonin Scalia.