Sen. James Lankford (R-OK) and Rep. Tom Cole (OK-04) issued statements of support Monday for President Donald Trump’s nominee for the U.S. Supreme Court, Judge Amy Coney Barrett.
Lankford and Cole each praised Trump’s choice and mentioned some of Barrett’s qualifications in their respective press releases.
“I look forward to meeting Judge Barrett and considering her nomination to fill the Supreme Court vacancy,” Lankford said in the release. “She is a dedicated mother of seven, a wife and a person of strong faith. She is clearly well prepared for the task. Her education, experience, and personal convictions all play an important role in her judicial philosophy as a strict constructionist.”
Lankford’s support comes after the OU Undergraduate Congress passed a resolution last week urging Lankford and Sen. Jim Inhofe (R-OK) to delay consideration of a new Supreme Court justice until after the Nov. 3 general election.
Some of Barrett's achievements include earning a law degree from University of Notre Dame, clerking for Justice Antonin Scalia, teaching law at her alma mater and serving on the Seventh Circuit Court of Appeals, according to Lankford’s release.
“I supported her nomination in 2017 for the Court of Appeals, and I look forward to working through the process of advice and consent for the highest court in the land,” Lankford said in the press release.
According to the White House website, Judge Barrett’s “excellent judicial record shows she will protect the rights of Americans and defend the rule of law.”
She has received numerous awards as a result of her excellence as a legal scholar and professor, such as the John M. Olin Fellowship at Notre Dame Law school for aspiring academics, and her scholarly work has been published in several journals, including the Columbia Law Review, Virginia Law Review, and Texas Law Review, according to the website.
According to an article from the New York Times, Barrett is a traditional conservative in cases touching on abortion, gun rights, discrimination and immigration. If she is confirmed to the Supreme Court, Barrett is believed to move the court firmly to the right.
Cole said in his release Trump is fulfilling his constitutional obligations by nominating Barrett to the Supreme Court.
“The president has absolutely made an exceptional choice with this nomination,” Cole said in the release. “Indeed, Judge Barrett is well qualified to serve for her educational and career credentials alone. But most important of all, she deeply respects the United States Constitution and has devoted her life to defending it.”
