WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senator Shelley Moore Capito (R-W.Va.) today issued the following statement after meeting with Judge Amy Coney Barrett, President Donald Trump’s nominee to be the next Supreme Court justice:

“Judge Barrett has a strong record of commitment to the rule of law and carefully considering the text and history of the Constitution. When Judge Barrett was first nominated by President Trump, she expressed her view that judges are not policy makers. I couldn’t agree with this more. Judge Barrett’s record backs this up and she reiterated this to me today during our meeting. It’s personally gratifying to me that we have a nominee before us who is a strong, female jurist and a working mother who is able to successfully balance her life. Judge Barrett is exactly the kind of role model our daughters and our granddaughters need.

“Ultimately, the most important factors in my decision to confirm a Supreme Court nominee are whether the nominee is well-qualified, has a record of applying the original text of our Constitution, and has the support of my fellow West Virginians. While we are still in the beginning of the confirmation process, Judge Barrett meets the criteria. She’s a fair-minded individual that understands and respects the responsibilities of a Supreme Court justice, and I look forward to watching her confirmation hearings in the coming weeks. In the meantime, I implore my colleagues—and really the rest of the nation—to consider this: while Judge Barrett has traveled a journey that not many of us have had the chance to do, we should use this as an opportunity to inspire that next generation and we should be proud of the fact that we have an accomplished woman to consider to serve on our nation’s highest court."

BACKGROUND:

Judge Amy Coney Barrett was confirmed to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit by a bipartisan vote of 55-43 on October 31, 2017. Every Republican senator, along with three Democrats—Senators Joe Manchin (D-W.Va.), Joe Donnelly (D-Ind.), and Tim Kaine (D-Va.) voted to confirm Judge Barrett. Senator Capito also voted to confirm Judge Barrett and spoke on the Senate floor in support of her nomination.

Senator Capito’s statement on Judge Barrett’s nomination is available here.

Senator Capito participated in a press conference earlier today with her female colleagues to discuss Judge Barrett as a jurist and role model. Click here for Senator Capito’s remarks and click here to watch the full press conference.

Photos from today’s meeting are included below:

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