Amy Coney Barrett, a conservative and former Court of Appeals Judge, was sworn as the ninth Justice into the US Supreme Court on Monday.

This confirmation makes history, as she is now officially the fifth women to be sworn into the Supreme Court. The confirmation of Barrett is also significant because it is the first in 151 years that no member of the minority party(Democratic) had approved of the induction. Clearly, the new Supreme Justice has her reasons for being so controversial – one being not related to her actual character and what she represents.

In former President Obama’s last year serving, he planned to nominate Merrick Garland following the the death of Justice Antonin Scalia in February. However, the GOP argued Obama was leaving office that year and should not have the ability to replace a Supreme Court Justice. With Trump’s nomination in 2020, many people see the Republican party as hypocritical and contradictory to what they upheld in 2016. NY Senator Chuck left this ominous and semi-threatening quote directed towards the Republicans:

“You may win this vote, and Amy Coney Barrett may become the next associate justice of the Supreme Court, but you will never, never get your credibility back. And the next time the American people give Democrats a majority in this chamber, you will have forfeited the right to tell us how to run that majority.”

Another reason as to why she divides the country is because of her stance on gun rights, abortion, and same-sex marriage. In the Supreme Court, there is already a majority of Republican Justices and the addition of Barrett will ultimately sway decisions in the SCOTUS to lean towards the right in court cases. This raises alarms for the Democratic party, as this is a huge determiner for the future of America. Abortion may become illegal nationwide or more restricted, gun rights will be protected, same-sex marriage could become illegal, and the climate crisis may continue to accelerate. Barrett also carries a view labeled as “originalism,” which means that she will interpret the Constitution literally instead of modifying and adjusting it to today’s world.

As America nears the election and will be undergoing a huge change in the political climate, Americans will eagerly, or fearfully, watch the decisions and actions of the SCOTUS more than ever with the addition of new Justice Amy Coney Barrett.

Daniella Herrera, a junior at Hills, states that, “Though her being a conservative Republican and me being a moderate Democrat, I don’t completely dislike her because there are some topics I see eye to eye with her.  However, compared to RBG and the standard she set for the next Justice, I do not believe she is a good fit.”