SAN ANTONIO — People in San Antonio have mixed feelings about President Donald Trump’s nominee to the U.S. Supreme Court, a pick that signals the commander-in-chief's intent to leave a conservative mark on the high court.
Trump nominated Judge Amy Coney Barrett to fill the open seat on the nation’s highest court eight days after the death of Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg.
Retired law professor Amy Kastely, who serves with the Esperanza Peace and Justice Center, said she's skeptical about Barrett’s abilities to do the job required of a Supreme Court justice.
“I think that anybody who’s worried about our democracy needs to be disappointed and worried,” Kastely said.
Barrett has served as a federal judge for the past three years in Chicago. She’s written nearly 100 opinions during her time on the U.S. Seventh Circuit Court and is a staunch Catholic.
“This court will be not only be conservative in their interpretation of the law but they will be promoting a political agenda, which will undermine the credibility of the court,” Kastely said.
Kastely doesn’t believe Barrett is qualified to serve on the Supreme Court.
“Ginsburg embodied what it means to have a judicial character and judicial commitment and Amy Barrett has not demonstrated that,” Kastely said.
Governor Greg Abbott, meanwhile, released a statement in support of Barrett. He said, in part, that " her proven legal brilliance is matched by her exceptional character and unflinching commitment to the U.S. Constitution.”
Republican Sen. Ted Cruz also voiced satisfaction with Trump’s nomination, tweeting, “Judge Amy Coney Barrett is well-qualified to serve on #SCOTUS, and I look forward to support her nomination.”
Some Trump supporters visiting San Antonio from Houston are comfortable with the prospect of Barrett filling the open seat on the Supreme Court.
“I’m pro-life and a conservative so I agree with her, her views,” said a woman who called herself Ellen.
The U.S. Senate is now tasked with voting to confirm or deny Barrett as the next Supreme Court justice. Those hearings begin Oct. 12.