House Speaker Nancy Pelosi said she is not interested in seeing Democrats attack the faith of Judge Amy Coney Barrett, who is a fellow Catholic, as she makes her way through the Supreme Court confirmation process.
Pelosi, a California Democrat, told CNN’s State of the Union that Barrett’s religion should not matter to senators who are considering her for the high court. Instead, the congresswoman said the nominee’s views on the Constitution should be called into question.
“I think it’s appropriate for people to ask her about how faithful she would be to the Constitution of the United States, whatever her faith. It doesn’t matter what her faith is or what religion she believes in. What matters is, does she believe in the Constitution of the United States?” Pelosi said.
During Barrett’s confirmation to the U.S. Court of Appeals, California Sen. Dianne Feinstein, the ranking Democrat on the Judiciary Committee, criticized Barrett’s “dogma” in a remark that has been criticized as anti-Catholic. Pelosi said that Senate Democrats should be more focused on Barrett’s views on the issue of healthcare than they are on her religion.
“Does she believe in the precedent on the Supreme Court that has upheld the Affordable Care Act? This is, again, directly related to a major concern of the American people, as it was in 2018. Healthcare, healthcare, healthcare. The three most important issues in this election,” Pelosi said.
If Barrett is confirmed to the Supreme Court, Catholics would hold six of the nine seats on the high court.
