During her Senate confirmation hearing
to the Supreme Court, Judge Amy Coney Barrett refused to say whether
two groundbreaking LGBT rights cases were correctly decided.
Under questioning from Connecticut
Senator Richard Blumenthal, a Democrat, Barrett declined to discuss
Lawrence v. Texas, which struck down state sodomy laws, and
Obergefell v. Hodges, which found gay and lesbian couples have
a constitutional right to marry.
“Again, I've said throughout the
hearing, I can't grade precedent,” Barrett said. “I can't give a
yes or no, and my declining to give an answer doesn't suggest
disagreement or an agreement.”
“Others have answered the same
questions and I'm disappointed that you won't,” Blumenthal said,
referring to other Supreme Court nominees.
Barrett, however, did opine on two
other cases, Brown v. Board of Education, which struck down
state racial segregation laws in schools, and Loving v. Virginia,
which put an end to state bans on interracial marriage. Barrett said
that both of those cases were correctly decided.
Barrett also said that she would not
give her views on global warming, saying that she didn't feel herself
“informed enough” on the subject.