WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, U.S. Senator Thom Tillis (R-NC) spoke on the Senate floor ahead of his vote to confirm Judge Amy Coney Barrett to be an Associate Justice of the U.S. Supreme Court.

Watch the speech here.

Tillis on Judge Barrett’s legacy:

“I think Judge Amy Coney Barrett is going to go down in history as one of the great justices on the Supreme Court. It is a shame that this is a divided decision. In a less political time than we find ourselves in today, I suspect she would have unanimous support in the Senate much like Justice Ginsburg when she came before the Senate. But today, I look forward to voting for Judge Amy Coney Barrett’s confirmation and build on what is already a very strong legacy. I look forward to ensuring we continue to have a court that is independent, impartial, and focuses on protecting all of our constitutional rights and freedoms, and I know without a doubt that Judge Amy Coney Barrett is going to be one of those stewards on the Supreme Court.” 

Tillis on the importance of confirming Judge Barrett:

“I think that it is very important to have a judge like Judge Barrett on the Supreme Court. Our religious freedoms are at stake, our Second Amendment rights are at stake. We do have people that want activist judges, but I don't want an activist judge period, not for a conservative cause or a liberal cause. I want a judge that I know if I someday go before the Supreme Court or any American, I want to know that I have a judge there who's going to be fair, who's going to be thoughtful, who's going to be impartial, and will always have a concern for both sides of the argument. But at the end of the day know that they have a responsibility to judge objectively.”

Tillis on Judge Barrett’s qualifications:

“Judge Barrett came to the Judiciary Committee prepared to answer questions from the 22 members and she did an extraordinary job. The reason she did an extraordinary job is because she's had an extraordinary career as a student at Rhodes College where she was magna cum laude, then going to Notre Dame School of Law where she graduated first in her class. She went on to be a professor at Notre Dame and multiple times she was voted the distinguished professor by a broad spectrum of liberal and conservative students. She's also proven as a judge with some 600 cases going through the 7th Circuit that she has an encyclopedic knowledge of that law.”

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