Heritage Pulls Out All Stops for Amy Coney Barrett's Confirmation

HERITAGE IMPACT

Heritage Pulls Out All Stops for Amy Coney Barrett's Confirmation

Oct 27, 2020

Amy Coney Barrett is sworn in as the newest Supreme Court Justice. Barrett marks the third Trump nominee to be confirmed to the SCOTUS. Photo by ALEX WONG/GETTY IMAGES NEWS via Getty Images

Amy Coney Barrett is the newest justice on the U.S. Supreme Court following a swift Senate confirmation that The Heritage Foundation strongly supported. 

Heritage has been at the forefront of the fight to confirm Barrett, producing a nationally televised ad, launching a grassroots petition, creating a new podcast, hosting exclusive events, and completing scores of media interviews. 

“Today is a great day for the American people and our system of justice,” said Heritage President Kay C. James moments after Justice Clarence Thomas officiated the oath Monday at the White House. “With Justice Barrett’s confirmation, the Supreme Court has another unwavering advocate for the Constitution and the protections it affords every citizen.”  

Even before Barrett’s official nomination on Sept. 26, Heritage was gearing up to support her. In August, more than a month before President Donald Trump’s announcement of Barrett as his nominee, Heritage scholars John Malcolm and Zack Smith recommended her to Trump for the Supreme Court

Malcolm has been a stalwart advocate for Barrett and was thrilled when she was officially confirmed to the nation’s highest court.  

“Justice Barrett will be an outstanding addition to the Supreme Court,” Malcolm says. “Throughout the entire process, Justice Barrett was patient and poised—a model of judicial temperament.”  

Since the time of her nomination, Heritage has been working tirelessly to inform Americans about who Barrett is as a person and what her legal history says about her judicial philosophy.  

Moments after Trump announced his selection, Heritage launched a digital campaign where Americans could sign a petition in support of the Barrett’s confirmation.  

In late September and early October, Heritage hosted two exclusive online events, “Who Is Amy Coney Barrett? A Closer Look at Trump’s Supreme Court Nominee” and “What Kind of Judge is Amy Coney Barrett? A Closer Look at Her Cases.” The webinars featured participants close to the judge, including Barrett’s former clerks, law school students, and colleagues at Notre Dame Law School.   

Heritage legal experts have also been working continuously to offer Americans the information they need to know about Barrett’s character and judicial beliefs and the importance of nominating an originalist to the Supreme Court.  

Since the vacancy became open, Heritage legal experts have written more than 30 op-eds and have engaged in more than 190 media interviews. Heritage has created a landing page to provide Americans with access to a breadth of information about Barrett and the process of confirming a justice to the Supreme Court.   

In addition, on the opening day of the Senate Judiciary Committee hearings, Heritage launched its first episode of “Perspectives: The Confirmation of Amy Coney Barrett.” The multipart podcast series features personal, in-depth conversations with Sens. Marsha Blackburn and Joni Ernst. The senators are the first two female Republican women on the Judiciary Committee, making their unique point of view especially compelling during Barrett’s confirmation process.  

As Barrett awaited crucial votes before the Senate Judiciary Committee and full Senate, Heritage started a TV ad campaign to support Barrett. The seven-figure campaign aimed to educate Americans on Barrett and built on the growing public support for the justice. 

The centerpiece of Heritage’s campaign was a 30-second television ad and accompanying 15-second digital ad highlighting Barrett’s qualifications for the Supreme Court. The television spot appeared on Fox News, HGTV, History, and Discovery Channel.   

Heritage’s multimedia news organization, The Daily Signal, provided complete coverage and analysis throughout the confirmation process. The Daily Signal also released an eight-minute mini-documentary featuring some of the people who know Barrett’s work best—her former students and clerks. The video, “Meet the REAL Amy Coney Barrett,” tells the truth about the judge and her approach to the law. 

Heritage Action for America, an independent partner organization affiliated with The Heritage Foundation, launched a “Confirm Amy” grassroots campaign to introduce Barrett to 1 million grassroots activists and 20,000 Sentinel leaders. Heritage Action has hosted multiple rallies with hundreds of activists voicing their support for Barrett. The organization has been tireless in their efforts, with a heavy ground effort in swing states like Pennsylvania and Wisconsin. Heritage Action organizers made over 197,000 phone calls, conducted 216,000 door knocking operations, and sent more than 1 million mailers in an effort to drum up popular support for Justice Barrett.  

“For decades, the left has been filling the bench with activist judges,” said Heritage Action Executive Director Jessica Anderson. “Now, thanks to President Trump and grassroots conservatives, we are reforming the bench with judges and justices like Amy Coney Barrett who will respect the Constitution and the plain meaning of the law. Justice Barrett will help steer the court