Why you should fear Trump's pick for Supreme Court Judge

[Foxaèr]

ACB was a real life "Handmaid" for a christian group

While Supreme Court nominee Amy Coney Barrett has faced questions about how her Catholic faith might influence her jurisprudence, she has not spoken publicly about her involvement in People of Praise, a small Christian group founded in the 1970s and based in South Bend, Ind.

Barrett, a federal appellate judge, has disclosed serving on the board of a network of private Christian schools affiliated with the group. The organization, however, has declined to confirm that she is a member. In recent years, it removed from its website editions of a People of Praise magazine — first those that included her name and photograph and then all archives of the magazine itself.

Barrett has had an active role in the organization, as have her parents, according to documents and interviews that help fill out a picture of her involvement with a group that keeps its teachings and gatherings private.

A 2010 People of Praise directory states that she held the title of “handmaid,” a leadership position for women in the community, according to a directory excerpt obtained by The Washington Post.

Also, while in law school, Barrett lived at the South Bend home of People of Praise’s influential co-founder Kevin Ranaghan and his wife, Dorothy, who together helped establish the group’s male-dominated hierarchy and view of gender roles. The group was one of many to grow out of the charismatic Christian movement, which sought a more intense and communal religious experience by embracing such practices as shared living, faith healing and speaking in tongues.

Barrett’s ties to the group, which has conservative stances on the role of women in society and other social issues, did not come to light until after she was questioned by senators considering her nomination to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 7th Circuit in 2017. Senators are preparing to question her next week over her nomination to the high court.

Barrett has said that judges are not policymakers and that she does not impose her personal convictions on the law.

Responding to questions about Barrett’s membership in People of Praise and her tenure as handmaid, Sean Connolly, a spokesman for the group, said: “Like many religious communities, People of Praise leaves it up to its members to decide whether to publicly disclose their involvement in our community.”

White House spokesman Judd Deere called Barrett an “independent jurist with an exceptional record” and called The Post’s questions offensive.

The title of handmaid was adopted by People of Praise in reference to the biblical description of Mary as “the handmaid of the Lord,” according to the group.

Former members including Art Wang, a member from the late 1980s until 2015, told The Post that handmaids, now known as “women leaders,” give advice to other women on issues such as child rearing and marriage.

But the role did not carry authority equivalent to positions held by men in the group’s formal hierarchy, the former members said. The community is led by an overall coordinator and a board of governors. They oversee coordinators of each branch across the country, who in turn oversee coordinators of areas within the branches.

In 2010, Barrett was one of three handmaids in the South Bend branch’s northwest area, according to the directory obtained by The Post. She and 10 other area handmaids were overseen by the branch’s principal handmaid.

Barrett’s position was in keeping with her family’s prior service in the community. Her mother, Linda Coney, served in the New Orleans branch as a handmaid, the Associated Press previously reported, and her father, Michael Coney, led that branch as principal coordinator and sat on the national group’s all-male board of governors.

Connolly said in an email that the group replaced the title of handmaids with “women leaders” in 2017.

Connolly said in a 2018 statement that the title was dropped out of a recognition that its meaning had “shifted dramatically in our culture in recent years.” The phrase took on a particular meaning in popular culture after Margaret Atwood’s dystopian 1985 novel “The Handmaid’s Tale” was adapted for television in 2017. Atwood said in a tweet last month that she was inspired by “a different but similar” group.

Women leaders “help other women who are seeking advice and guidance” and lead retreats and events, Connolly said in the email, adding that they are “appointed after consultation with members of a branch.”

[The Grand Nudger]

The GOP can't figure out which side of this one it wants to be on. They insist that she not be subjected to a religious test so that she can be appointed to the supreme court and subject us law to a religious test.

Some clarity on whether a religious test is a shameful thing to be avoided or a hopeful outcome of executive power might be required.

[Sal]

Who needs principles when you have power, amiright?

[downbeatplumb]

Blessed be the fruit.
I see OffTrump being forced on your country soon to be renamed Gilead.

[Anomalocaris]

I do not fear trump’s justices. Their appointments will bring forward the beneficial reckoning that has been becoming ever more inevitable since 1994.

[HappySkeptic]

Amy Coney Barrett seems to be a very smart woman. On issues that have nothing to do with social justice or political maneuvering, she will probably be a good justice.

Unfortunately, the only reason she is being appointed, is because she is guaranteed to roll back Roe vs. Wade, and is guaranteed to roll back rights on LGBT, as per her previous comments on the subjects.

There is a reason why most of the court is Roman Catholic, and its all about abortion. The religious right EXPECT them to follow their church's doctrines.

[onlinebiker]

There is a reason why most of the court is Roman Catholic, and its all about abortion.  The religious right EXPECT them to follow their church's doctrines.

Isn't it odd that they had the exact same fear of JFK?

[Brian37]

Who needs principles when you have power, amiright?

This ....... SO MUCH THIS!

[The Grand Nudger]

JFK appointed Byron White to the supreme court. He went on to write the dissent in Roe v Wade. The only explicit comments from JFK about abortion asserted his belief that it would be repugnant to all americans.

[Angrboda]

The ideological bent of the court waxes and wanes. The Republicans got lucky, for the most part, and that's okay. You can't always get what you want.