Faculty from Notre Dame unveiled an open letter demanding Amy Coney Barrett refuse her nomination to the Supreme Court, but the letter attracted zero signers from the law school.
The letter, published by the progressive group Teacher-Scholar-Activist, was touted by some in the media as a revolt of Barrett's "colleagues," but the professors who signed the letter teach subjects such as anthropology and gender studies, not law. They argued the confirmation process is "rushed" and tainted by "anti-democratic machinations," constituting an "injury to [former Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg's] memory."
"Your nomination just days after Ginsburg’s death was unseemly and a repudiation of her legacy," they wrote.
The letter comes as Democrats and the media have struggled to settle on a message to oppose Barrett, who received the "well qualified" rating from the American Bar Association, its top rating. After facing backlash for critiques of Barrett's faith, Democrats shifted the focus on the possibility she could rule against Obamacare, something legal experts consider unlikely.
The writers of the Notre Dame letter admitted they are "asking a lot," but they promised Barrett that she "would earn the respect of fair-minded people everywhere" if she listened to them and withdrew from the nomination process. In addition, they said withdrawing "would provide a model of civic selflessness" that "might well inspire Americans of different beliefs toward a renewed commitment to the common good."