Ever since Amy Coney Barrett’s name first entered the national conversation as a nominee for the 7th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in 2017, the left has focused on attacking her religious faith. These attacks aren’t just wrong — they are dangerous and completely antithetical to American values.
For me, this is personal. The left came after me for my faith as well when President Trump nominated me to be secretary of the Army in 2017. The attacks led me to withdraw from consideration for the position. The following year I was elected to the U.S. House of Representatives from the 7th Congressional District in Tennessee.
When Amy Coney Barrett was first nominated to the 7th Circuit Court of Appeals, Sen. Dianne Feinstein, D-Calif., expressed disdain at then-Professor Barrett’s commitment to her Catholic faith. Feinstein famously stated that “the dogma lives loudly within you, and that’s of concern.”
It boggles the mind that the ranking member of the Senate Judiciary Committee could lay down a religious test for a federal judge. This type of religious test is not something any person seeking to serve in public office should have to face, nor is it constitutional.
