On the recordOctober 25, 2020
Mr. President, I rise today to express my support for the confirmation of Judge Amy Coney Barrett as an Associate Justice of the Supreme Court. She is exceptionally intelligent, academically astute, and impeccably credentialed. She has a record of sound opinions and temperament as a judge on the Seventh Circuit Court of Appeals. Her life experiences provide her with valuable perspective and evident wisdom. Perhaps most important, she is a woman of unquestionable character and integrity, the presence of which is essential to our Nation, as the confidence of the Court itself is in the balance. I will be honored to vote to confirm her nomination. Mr. President, I also rise to address my concern regarding the division and contempt for others that is growing among many of our citizens. The causes of this malady are many and varied, but one to which I draw attention is the declining trust held by the citizenry in our many institutions. A democratic republic is highly dependent upon the confidence of its people in the institutions that lie at its foundation. These includes churches, schools, governments at all levels, the press, corporations, markets, and most relevant today, the justice system and the courts. Absent public confidence in these institutions, a democratic republic will not thrive or perhaps endure. Fortunately, the Supreme Court enjoys a great deal of respect from the American people.…





