Yesterday, California Democratic Senator Diane Feinstein attacked a judicial nominee for upholding her Catholic faith.
During her confirmation hearing, U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals nominee Amy Coney Barrett, a mom of seven children, and a former clerk for the late Justice Antonin Scalia, was basically told her religion should keep her from being qualified for the judgeship. However, the U.S. Constitution explicitly states:
The Senators and Representatives before mentioned, and the Members of the several State Legislatures, and all executive and judicial Officers, both of the United States and of the several States, shall be bound by Oath or Affirmation, to support this Constitution; but no religious Test shall ever be required as a Qualification to any Office or public Trust under the United States.
“When you read your speeches, the conclusion one draws is that the dogma lives loudly within you,” said Feinstein. “And that’s of concern when you come to big issues that large numbers of people have fought for, for years in this country.”
WATCH: Sen. Feinstein to appeals court nominee Amy Barrett, @NotreDame law prof/#Catholic mother of 7: "The dogma lives loudly within you." pic.twitter.com/mpDgNZGRsa
— Jason Calvi (@JasonCalvi) September 6, 2017
Feinstein’s comments immediately unleashed a backlash for implying that nominated officials must pass some sort of religious test in order to qualify for public office.
https://twitter.com/Caglius/status/905627214359691264
https://twitter.com/rlj_robert/status/905599561942650880
https://twitter.com/Chines/status/905524238228054017
Alexandra Descantis wrote for the National Review, “Feinstein’s comments this afternoon revealed that anti-Catholic bigotry is still alive in the U.S., even, and perhaps especially, among those leftists who are the first to decry prejudice and discrimination against other minorities.”
Sohrab Ahmari, writer for Commentary brought up an excellent point on Twitter:
https://twitter.com/SohrabAhmari/status/905514831985434624
https://twitter.com/EdWhelanEPPC/status/905524811799162880
John Gerardi, Executive Director of Right to Life of Central California attended Notre Dame Law School and had Barrett as a professor. Gerardi said, “‘The dogma lives loudly within you.’ When I die, I hope I’ve lived a life worthy of someone ‘insulting’ me in such a fashion.” Gerardi also expressed his personal opinion that nominating Barrett “was one of the best decisions Trump has made.”
