成人X站

DAVE ROSS

UW assistant professor ‘a little disturbed’ by Barrett’s SCOTUS hearing answers

Oct 14, 2020, 3:19 PM | Updated: Oct 15, 2020, 7:25 am

Amy Coney Barrett...

Judge Amy Coney Barrett during Senate confirmation hearings. (Getty Images)

(Getty Images)

Amy Coney Barrett is facing the Senate Judiciary Committee this week, and as with many nominees, it’s difficult to get a sense of the future legal implications of聽 her answers. Should the process be changed? Scott Lemieux, an assistant teaching professor in the department of political science at the University of Washington, joined Seattle鈥檚 Morning News to discuss.

Did Lemieux see anything about her testimony that struck him as particularly concerning or not in the spirit of the Supreme Court’s mission?

鈥淚 was a little disturbed when she said that she would not recuse herself if there was a case involving the presidential election. There was also an exchange with Senator Klobuchar, in which Senator Klobuchar asked her if it violated federal law to engage in voter intimidation, which President Trump has suggested on Twitter a couple of times, and has tried to encourage,鈥 he said.

Ross: Judge Barrett says 鈥榦riginalists don鈥檛 always agree鈥

鈥淪he essentially declined to answer, even after Senator Klobuchar read the statute that shows that it’s a federal offense to engage in voter intimidation. I don’t know what exactly that implies, but it’s a little disturbing that given it’s just a very narrow, factual question, she wasn’t even willing to go that far.鈥

A common feature of the proceedings is that nominees often never want to talk about how they might rule in the particular case, and prefer to say less than more.

鈥淚t’s a tricky question, it does concern me a little bit. And obviously this goes back to when Ronald Reagan nominated Robert Bork. He had an extensive history of writing both as a scholar and a public intellectual. He had written essays arguing the Civil Rights Act shouldn’t have been passed and giving a very narrow read of the First Amendment and that Roe should be overruled. As a result of those writings, he was voted down by a bipartisan majority. So since then, with a few exceptions, justices have just declined to more or less say anything about their views,鈥 he said.

Will Trump鈥檚 COVID treatments be available to the general public?

鈥淥n the one hand, I understand judges not wanting to say how they will rule it in a future case. But on the other hand, there’s this weird two step where Republicans place an extremely high priority on judicial appointments, taking a fair amount of political risk by trying to get Judge Barrett confirmed at this late date. But as soon as the nomination process begins, Republicans just sort of deny that this nominee could possibly have the views that almost all the Republicans have on constitutional matters.鈥

Listen to Seattle鈥檚 Morning News weekday mornings from 5 鈥 9 a.m. on 成人X站 Radio, 97.3 FM. Subscribe to the podcast here.

Dave's Commentary

Dave Ross on 成人X站 Newsradio 97.3 FM
  • to 成人X站 Newsradio weekdays at 5am for Dave Ross on Seattle's Morning News.

Dave Ross

Image: From left, Chris Sullivan, Dave Ross and Colleen O'Brien stand together in the 成人X站 Newsradi...

MyNorthwest Staff

Dave and Colleen’s final ‘SMN:’ 成人X站 colleagues, politicians say their goodbyes

"Seattle's Morning News" on 成人X站 Newsradio will soon have a new sound. On Thursday, Dave Ross and Colleen O'Brien will host their last show together after a decade of co-hosting.

7 months ago

Classical literature on bookshelves. (Photo by Richard Baker / In Pictures via Getty Images)...

Dave Ross

Dave Ross as you’ve never heard him before: ‘I like fat books and I can’t deny’

"This song, inspired by one of my first interviews when I started my talk show, which was Sir Mix-A-Lot," Dave Ross said.

7 months ago

national debt...

Dave Ross

‘Don’t cut a cent:’ Dave Ross on why the national debt never gets under control

The national debt now exceeds $36 trillion, and every president says it has to be under control. And yet, it never is.

7 months ago

voters hormone...

Dave Ross

Ross: Voters weren鈥檛 just voting for change, they were voting for a hormone

The more I read the post-election analysis, the more I鈥檓 convinced voters weren鈥檛 just voting for a change 鈥 they were voting for a hormone.

8 months ago

ross o'brien - Seattle's Morning News...

Frank Sumrall

Dave Ross, Colleen O’Brien departing after co-hosting ‘Seattle’s Morning News’ for a decade

Dave Ross and Colleen O'Brien, the co-hosts of "Seattle's Morning News" on 成人X站 Newsradio are both leaving the show.

8 months ago

election day...

Dave Ross

Dave Ross: Election Day and Decision Day are two separate things

Tomorrow is Election Day 鈥 that鈥檚 what the calendar says. But there are two problems with the term "Election Day."

8 months ago

UW assistant professor ‘a little disturbed’ by Barrett’s SCOTUS hearing answers