On October 26th, after being nominated by President Trump, former Seventh Circuit Court of Appeals Judge, Amy Coney Barret was sworn into the Supreme Court by Justice Clarence Thomas. The United States Senate voted 52–48 to confirm her nomination, with all Democrats opposed and all but one Republican (Susan Collins) in favor. Barret became the 115th justice and only woman currently serving on the Supreme Court.  After her nomination, Senator Ted Cruz stated  “Having confirmed her to the Circuit Court in 2017 with bipartisan support, the Senate has already undertaken a thorough and rigorous review of her record.”

Previously, she was a United States circuit judge on the United States Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit from 2017 up until her confirmation.  She was mentored by Justice Antonin Scalia until his death in 2017, and she attended the Notre Dame Law School where she later taught federal courts evidence, constitutional law, and statutory interpretation. Barrett was named a professor of law in 2010.

Justice Barrett has made her philosophy clear, stating that “Courts have a vital responsibility to the rule of law, which is critical to a free society, but courts are not designed to solve every problem or right every wrong in our public life,” during her confirmation hearings. Barret is a self-claimed Originalist, which, according to her, is “characterized by a commitment to two core principles. First, the meaning of the constitutional text is fixed at the time of its ratification. Second, the historical meaning of the text has legal significance and is authoritative in most circumstances.”

The 48-year-old judge’s confirmation solidifies the court’s conservative majority, potentially shaping the future of abortion rights and health care law for generations. While the Democratic Party tried to slow down the confirmation process with various procedural maneuvers, the fact that Republicans control the Senate meant a Barrett confirmation was all but promised.