Rarely, if ever, has one individual had a greater opportunity to demonstrate a commitment to our country and the principles of our democracy than exists at this moment. That individual is Judge Amy Coney Barrett, and that opportunity is for her to demonstrate the moral courage to insist that her nomination to the Supreme Court be suspended until after the results of the coming election are confirmed. One hundred and two of her faculty colleagues from the University of Notre Dame have sent her an open letter asking her to do just that.
Regardless of the outcome of the election, this courageous and selfless act on her part could be one of the most powerful and significant acts of leadership in the history of our country. It would send a resonating signal to both sides of our political divide that the principles of integrity and fairness must always be held above political advantage and, even more importantly, that our government and the elected public servants that make up that government, must always put the will, the voice and the best interests of the people before all else. She is being put forward to serve on the one co-equal branch of our government that was established specifically to serve as a critical check to the political branches, the executive and legislative, and ensure that the founding principles of fair, open and honest democracy prevail and endure.
This has nothing to do with Barrett as an individual or as a jurist. This is not about her qualifications or her personal beliefs; those are matters to be considered by the Senate fully and openly at the proper time. This is entirely about whether she will choose to be a part of healing or deepening our divides.
The very people who will decide to put Barrett into this solemn position are the same individuals who just four years ago insisted that the voice of the people be heard before the appointment of a previous Supreme Court justice. These are the same people who publicly declared that they would approve the president’s nominee even before knowing who that nominee would be, effectively disregarding their sworn duty to fairly and critically evaluate and vet nominees for lifetime appointments to the highest court in our land.
Barrett did not create this situation nor ask to be put in this position. But she is the only person who can choose to take advantage of this momentous moment in history to demonstrate that we can be better as a nation and that we can commit to reconciliation and healing. Alternatively, she can allow 51 senators who collectively represent less than half of the United States population, to go back on their word and force a confirmation that, again through no fault of Barrett, will exacerbate our toxic divisions for many years to come.
I have nothing but compassion and empathy for Barrett as a human being, and I do not envy the nearly impossible decision she faces. Whatever choice she makes will have huge and lasting ramifications and will come at great cost. Such are the stakes when confronted with the choice of exercising moral courage. I hope that we will all hold her in our thoughts and our hearts as she considers a choice that will be long remembered in the history of our great nation.
Snare is a non-profit executive, writer and advocate for collaborative, principled and generative civic leadership.
"Opinion" - Google News
October 22, 2020 at 10:00PM
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Opinion: Judge Amy Coney Barrett has a choice — unify or further divide the country - Houston Chronicle
"Opinion" - Google News
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