Since the death of Ruth Bader Ginsburg, a new Supreme Court Justice had to be appointed. However, the question was whether or not the current President, Donald Trump should elect the new justice or President following the election hold that power.. But it only took Donald Trump a week after the death of Ginsburg to nominate a new Supreme Court Justice. On October 27th, it was announced that Donald Trump elected 48-year-old, Amy Coney Barrett, as the newest Supreme Court Justice. However, the decision has sparked a wave of controversy with citizens nationwide.

Amy Coney Barrett is an American lawyer, jurist, and former academic. She studied at the University of Notre Dame’s Law School, graduating first in her class, and was a clerk to Justice Antonin Scalia. She is an originalist, which is a belief that judges should attempt to interpret the words of the Constitution as the authors intended when they were written. Many liberals oppose that stern approach, saying there must be a move with the times.

Being an originalist, Barrett is known for being quite conservative. Her conservative stance on current issues has also been contributed to her religious beliefs as a member of the Catholic church. Barrett has previously been known to have different views than some when it comes to minority groups such as the LGBTQ+ community, the Black community; Barrett has also been quite vocal about her thoughts on abortion. These controversies have left some people who are a part of those communities frightened over the fate of their community. For Junior, Mikaley Applewhite, she still has a sense of hope for her culture and her orientation.

“For Amy, I heard her hearing and though I don’t agree with some of her views. She can’t overrule something that the Supreme Court has already done. If another case comes up in the court, she may rule on it, but I think she will rule on the law,” said Applewhite.

Upon being elected as one of the nine Supreme Court Justices, Barrett is filling the big shoes of the late Ruth Bader Ginsburg, considered to be, by some, one of the greatest Supreme Court Justices in American history. Therefore, Barrett is held up to a higher standard and is having to fill some big shoes. That leaves some people in question if Barrett will do well in office or not. AP English Teacher, Lisa Cole dives into a more political perspective on Barrett and whether Barrett will allow for progress in the American government.

“Barrett was rushed through and she should not have been since it was just a few weeks before the presidential election. If the American public chooses Biden, then that means they would have wanted a more moderate judge on the Supreme Court. RBG was progressive: pro women’s rights, pro choice, pro gay rights, pro civil rights, while Barrett is extremely conservative. Again, the hope here is that Barrett, as an intelligent jurist, will uphold previous laws settled by the US Supreme Court. But when given the chance, she will not be an advocate for progress in the law,” said Cole.

From her views on minority groups such as the LGBTQ+ and the Black community to her stances on abortion laws within the state, Barrett has caused an uproar on social media once she was elected as Supreme Court Justice. Many have stated that the country is going to go downhill and some have argued that there is hope that things will go good. Barrett’s voice and decision is one of nine and what she does is unpredictable. For AP US History Teacher, Leigh-Ann Smith, she has an optimistic view when it comes to Barrett.

“I think she is going to be fair. We have been pleasantly surprised with Gorsuch and Kavanaugh, Trump’s other two nominees. They ended up being more moderate than anyone expected them to be. She has in the past made decisions based on The Constitution and the law instead of her personal beliefs, which is what she is supposed to do. At the end of the day, she is coming in one of nine, so I think we should give her a chance,” said Smith.

As the election approaches and the possibility of a new President varies, the future is unpredictable. With Barrett now being one of the nine Supreme Court Justices, some believe that the future of the country is in doom while others have high hopes for what is next for America’s government.