There’s something deeper and stranger about the opposition to Amy Coney Barrett than to other nominees. It’s not just the way she might change the ideological weight of the court, as a conservative replacing the liberal Ruth Bader Ginsburg. It’s not exactly her faith either, although that’s part of it. One senses that there’s an unsayable aspect to it. It’s not just her religion — she’s assumed to be a doctrinally orthodox and charismatic Catholic — though religion is a part of it.
As hearings are about to begin, we have been told, over and over again, that elected Democrats do not want to make Amy Coney Barrett’s religious beliefs or personal life the focus of her Senate confirmation hearings. Even though Kamala Harris has implied during other hearings that membership in the Knights of Columbus could be disqualifying for a judge, even though Senator Mazie Hirono has asked candidates what behaviors they consider sinful, and even though the ranking Democrat on the Judiciary Committee complained to Barrett a few years ago that “the Dogma lives loudly within you, and that’s of concern,” Democrats now insist that they don’t have an issue with any candidate’s faith. How dare you suggest otherwise! They just want to talk about how she’d rule on cases about Obamacare.
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