President Donald Trump will announce Amy Barrett as his Supreme Court nominee, according to a breaking story in the New York Times, which does not name sources.
“Trump plans to announce on Saturday that she is his choice, according to people close to the process. The president met with Judge Barrett at the White House this week and came away impressed with a jurist that leading conservatives told him would be a female Antonin Scalia, referring to the justice who died in 2016 and for whom Judge Barrett clerked,” the newspaper wrote.
The announcement is set for 5 pm Eastern Time on Saturday. But Trump could always change his mind.
Barrett, 48, is a judge on the 7th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in Chicago. A former Notre Dame law professor, she clerked for the late Justice Antonin Scalia.
Democrats have criticized her for her conservative beliefs and her faith, which is Catholic. She has been associated with a charismatic group called People of Praise, which is described as an intentional Christian community, but not a church, which is informed by the Nicene Creed and is open to any baptized Christian who agrees to the community’s covenant.
Both of Alaska’s senators are from the Catholic faith. This week, Sen. Lisa Murkowski said she would hold off a decision on whether she will vote on a nomination until she learned who the nominee is, while last week Sen. Dan Sullivan said he would vote on a nomination one way or the other, should it reach the floor of the Senate.
