Nation

Judge Barrett describes ‘difficult’ decision to accept SCOTUS nomination: ‘We knew that our lives would be combed over for any negative detail’

Published

3 years ago

October 13, 2020

Listen to “Rep. Jim Jordan: I believe Amy Coney Barrett will be confirmed” on Spreaker.

When asked by Senate Judiciary Chairman Lindsey Graham about her experience since being nominated by President Donald Trump for the Supreme Court vacancy, Judge Amy Coney Barrett responded that while it was a difficult decision, it would be difficult for anyone, but that her passion for the law ultimately motivated her to go through with the intense process.

Judge Barrett has been attacked in the media for her devotion to Catholicism and her large and diverse family. At Tuesday’s hearing, she said she expected and prepared for that backlash.

“Well, Senator, I’ve tried to be on a media blackout for the sake of my mental health, but, you know, you can’t keep yourself walled off from everything and I’m aware of a lot of the caricatures that are floating around,” Judge Barrett said.

She added, “So, I think what I would like to say in response to that question is that look, I’ve made distinct choices, I’ve decided to pursue a career and have a large family. I have a multiracial family, our faith is important to us, all of those things are true, but they are my choices and in my personal interactions with people, I mean I have a life brimming with people who have made different choices and I’ve never tried in my personal life to impose my choices on them and the same is true professionally.”

Judge Barrett also explained how her family thought carefully about the decision to accept Trump’s nomination, saying that her commitment to the country and her family’s support outweighed the difficulty.

“I mean, I apply the law and Senator, I think I should say why I’m sitting in this seat in response to that question too, why I’ve agreed to be here because I don’t think it’s any secret to any of you or to the American people that this is a really difficult, some might say excruciating process and Jesse and I had a very brief amount of time to make a decision with momentous consequences for our family.”

“We knew that our lives would be combed over for any negative detail, we knew that our faith would be caricatured, we knew that our family would be attacked, and, so we had to decide whether those difficulties would be worth it because what sane person would go through that if there wasn’t a benefit on the other side. And the benefit I think is that I’m committed to the rule of law and the role of the Supreme Court in dispensing equal justice for all. And I’m not the only person who could do this job, but I was asked and it would be difficult for anyone, so why should I say someone else should do the difficulty if the difficulty is the only reason to say no? I should serve my country and my family’s all in on that because they share my belief and the rule of law.”

Nation

Biden Administration Proposes Rule to Fortify Federal Bureaucracy Against Republican Presidency

Published

3 days ago

September 22, 2023

Alexander Carter

In a strategic move, the Biden administration has unveiled a proposed rule aimed at reinforcing the left-leaning federal bureaucracy, potentially hindering future conservative policy implementations by Republican presidents. This move has raised concerns about the efficacy of democratic elections when a deep-seated bureaucracy remains largely unchanged, regardless of electoral outcomes.

Key points of the situation include:

Presidential Appointees vs. Career Bureaucrats: Of the 2.2 million federal civil workers, only 4,000 are presidential appointees. The vast majority, made up of career bureaucrats, continue in their roles from one administration to the next. This continuity is facilitated by rules that make it exceedingly difficult to discipline or replace them, resulting in a bureaucracy that tends to lean left politically.

Union Political Affiliation: A striking 95% of unionized federal employees who donate to political candidates support Democrats, according to Open Secrets, with only 5% favoring Republicans. This significant political skew among federal workers raises questions about the potential for political bias in the execution of government policies.

Obstructionism and Challenges for GOP Presidents: Some career bureaucrats have been accused of obstructing Republican presidents’ agendas, leading to policy delays and challenges. For example, during the Trump administration, career lawyers in the Department of Justice’s Civil Rights Division declined to challenge Yale University’s discrimination against Asian American applicants, prompting Trump to seek legal counsel from other divisions. The case was subsequently dropped when Joe Biden took office.

Biden’s Countermeasures: President Biden has taken steps to protect the bureaucracy’s status quo. In October 2020, Trump issued an executive order aiming to reclassify federal workers who make policy as at-will employees, but Biden canceled it upon taking office.

Proposed Rule and Congressional Actions: The rule unveiled by the Biden administration seeks to further impede a president’s ability to reinstate Trump’s order. Additionally, some Democrats in Congress are pushing to eliminate the president’s authority to reclassify jobs entirely. This has been referred to as an attempt to “Trump-proof the federal workforce.”

Republican Candidates’ Pledge: GOP candidates such as President Donald J Trump, Vivek Ramaswamy, and Ron DeSantis have pledged to address this issue. According to reports from Fox News, Ramaswamy has gone further, advocating for the elimination of half or more of civil service positions, emphasizing the need for accountability.

Debate on the Merit of the Civil Service: While Democrats and their media allies argue that civil service protects merit over patronage, critics contend that the system has evolved into a form of job security for federal workers with minimal accountability. Federal employees often receive higher salaries and more substantial benefits than their private-sector counterparts.

In summary, the Biden administration’s proposed rule and broader actions to protect the federal bureaucracy have sparked a debate over the role of career bureaucrats in shaping government policy.

Republican candidates are vowing to address these concerns, highlighting the need for accountability and ensuring that government agencies work in alignment with the elected president’s agenda. This ongoing debate raises important questions about the relationship between the bureaucracy and the democratic process in the United States.

Information in this article was retrieved from Fox News.