Supreme Court nominee Judge Amy Coney Barrett declared Tuesday she’s an originalist and a textualist — much like the late Justice Antonin Scalia, her mentor.
But she said not all textualists and originalists see eye to eye.
Originalists interpret the Constitution based on its original meaning at the time it was ratified, and textualists adhere strictly to the text of a statute when evaluating a law.
“If I’m confirmed, you would not be getting Justice Scalia, you would be getting Justice Barrett,” the nominee told senators at her second day of confirmation hearings.
Judge Barrett, who now sits on the 7th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals, clerked for Scalia at the high court after she graduated law school.
• Alex Swoyer can be reached at aswoyer@washingtontimes.com.
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