Supreme Court nominee Amy Coney Barrett declared that she hasn’t discussed legal cases with anyone in the Senate or the White House and wouldn’t commit to recusing herself from hearing any cases involving President Trump and the 2020 election.
Her responses are part of a 69-page questionnaire that was released Tuesday by the Senate Judiciary Committee as it prepares to begin the process of confirming her selection to the Supreme Court on Oct. 12.
It asked if anyone in the Senate, the White House of the Justice Department “discussed with you any currently pending or specific case, legal issue, or question in a manner that could reasonably be interpreted as seeking any express or implied assurances concerning your position?”
Barrett answered, “No.”
The 48-year-old law professor said she would recuse herself from cases involving her husband, Jesse Barrett, her sister, Amanda Coney Williams, who are both lawyers, and cases involving Notre Dame University, where she teaches, as well as those involving the US Court of Appeals where she serves as a judge.
Some Democrats have called on Barrett to remove herself from involvement in any cases involving the outcome of the 2020 presidential election because she has been nominated by Trump and the vote could end up before the high court to rule on any challenges or ballot issues.
Along with the usual information about her resumes, what cases she’s worked on, her financial information, Barrett revealed that she was first contacted by the White House on Sept. 19 and was offered the job by the president on Sept. 21 – three days after the death of Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg.
Trump, calling her “one of our nation’s most brilliant and gifted minds,” formally announced her nomination last Saturday during a ceremony at the White House.
Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell said he intends to have a vote for Barrett before the Nov. 3 election, angering Democrats who accused him of hypocrisy after blocking President Barack Obama’s nominee, Merrick Garland, in 2016.