In late October, the Senate approved the appointment of a remarkable third Supreme Court justice nominated in a single presidential term: Amy Coney Barrett, a solid originalist on the model of the legendary Antonin Scalia, much like the two other recent appointees, Justices Neil Gorsuch and Brett Kavanaugh. And a bonus: In mid-December, the Senate consented to the nomination of Thomas Kirsch to replace Justice Barrett on the Seventh Circuit appeals court.
These confirmations were the capstone of the federal judiciary’s decidedly conservative remaking, a boon for civil and economic liberty that will long outlive the presidency responsible: that of Donald J. Trump, not — mirabile dictu, even four years later — of Hillary Clinton.
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