I clerked for Justice Scalia more than 20 years ago. But the lessons I learned still resonate. Justice Scalia judicial philosophy is mine, too, a judge must apply the law as written. Judges are not policy makers and they must be resolute and setting aside any policy views they might hold.

Amy Coney Barrett

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I tend to agree with those who say that a justice's duty is to the Constitution and that it is thus more legitimate for her to enforce her best understanding of the Constitution rather than a precedent she thinks is clearly in conflict with it.

Amy Coney Barrett
bestconstitutionconflictjustice

In a system of precedent, the new majority bears the weight of explaining why the constitutional vision of their predecessors was flawed and of making the case as to why theirs better captures the meaning of our fundamental law.

Amy Coney Barrett
newbettervisionlaw

I would never impose my own personal convictions upon the law.

Amy Coney Barrett
ownnevermy-ownlaw

A judge may never subvert the law or twist it in any way to match the judge's convictions.

Amy Coney Barrett
judgeneverlawway

Judges cannot - nor should they try to - align our legal system with the Church's moral teaching whenever the two diverge. They should, however, conform their own behavior to the Church's standard.

Amy Coney Barrett
legalmoralbehaviorchurch

Your legal career is but a means to an end, and... that end is building the kingdom of God.

Amy Coney Barrett
legalendbuildinggod

I totally reject and have rejected throughout my entire career the proposition that the end justifies the means or that a judge should decide cases based on a desire to reach a certain outcome.

Amy Coney Barrett
reachendjudgedesire

Were I confirmed as a judge, I would decide cases according to the rule of law beginning to end.

Amy Coney Barrett
endjudgebeginninglaw

I would not want to leave the impression that I would give some precedents more weight than others because of some sort of academic disagreement.

Amy Coney Barrett
leavemoresomewant

It's never appropriate for a judge to impose that judge's personal convictions - whether they derive from faith or anywhere else - on the law.

Amy Coney Barrett
judgeneverfaithlaw

Showing that we can disagree on the issues and the merits without being nasty is one of the tributes to the way we do our business, our disagreement on political issues and important constitutional issues doesn't diminish the value of who Justice Amy Coney Barrett is in my mind or to me.

Amy Coney Barrett

Showing that we can disagree on the issues and the merits without being nasty is one of the tributes to the way we do our business, our disagreement on political issues and important constitutional issues doesn't diminish the value of who Justice Amy Barrett is in my mind or to me.

Amy Coney Barrett

My goal today is to convince Justice Sonia Sotomayor that Supreme Court is not comprised of a bunch of partisan hacks, the media, along with hot takes on Twitter, report the results of decisions.

Amy Coney Barrett

A lot of the historical evidence and longstanding practice really cuts against your position.

Amy Coney Barrett

Maybe things have changed so that we should change Title IX, maybe those arguing in favor of this kind of transgender bathroom access are right. ... But it does seem to strain the text of the statute to say that Title IX demands it, so is that the kind of thing that Supreme Court should interpret the statute to update it to pick sides on this policy debate ? Or should we go to our Congress ?

Amy Coney Barrett

That is true, that's the law folks.

Amy Coney Barrett

I think that it's an academic question that wouldn't arise but it's something that I can't opine on particularly because it does lie at the base of substantive due process doctrine which is something that continues to be litigated in courts today.

Amy Coney Barrett

As far as I know, that question has never been litigated. That question has never arisen, that question may or may not arise, but it's one that calls for legal analysis of what the scope of the pardon power is. So because it would be opining on an open question, when I haven't gone through the judicial process to decide it, it's not one in which I can offer a view.

Amy Coney Barrett

Any opinion that I would express, and I don't mean to signal that I disagree with the statement either, what I mean to say is I'm not going to express an opinion because these are very charged issues, they have been litigated in the courts so I will not engage on that question.

Amy Coney Barrett

As you might imagine, given that I have two Black children, that was very, very personal for my family.

Amy Coney Barrett