Senator I see no conflict senator, I see no conflict between having a sincerely held faith and duties as a judge. In fact, we have many judges. Both state and federal across the country have sincerely held religious views and still impartially and honestly discharge their obligations as a judge and when im confirmed as a judge, I would decide cases according to the rule of law, beginning to end Ainsley, that is Trump Supreme Court nominee, Amy Coney Barrett, shutting down attacks on her faith and ability to serve as an impartial judge during her appeals court confirmation hear ing back in twenty seventeen and now her long time, friend of twenty years, defending Coney Barrett saying her religious experience is no different than millions of Americans. That friend neighbor and former colleague at Notre Dame Richard Garnette joins us now good morning to you Rick good morning. Thank you Ainsley. Why do you think shes a good fit? Amy Barrett is going to be an excellent justice if shes confirmed auto, it was thinking this morning about in high

school. I went through a phase where I liked this band called rush and they had an album called grace under pressure and thatS Amy Barrett. She is poised and shes also as a teacher and a scholar, incredibly rigourous and focused, and I think we saw that last time around when she was being confirmed by the Senate Judiciary Committee. I think we saw that in the clip that you just showed that in the face of attacks that were, in my view, inappropriate and unfortunate, she was very clear and direct in assuring Americans and assuring the senators that she understands the role of a judge, and she understands the task of a judge is to answer legal questions and not religious questions. So I have a great deal of confidence in her ability to really contribute to the Supreme Court. Ainsley tell us more about her personally and then well get into the critics, because I know your wife Nicole. They clerk

Ed together, your w wife was clerking for Clarence Thomas and she was clerking for Scalia. What was her reputation? Yeah her reputation as a law clerk that year we met more than twenty two years ago. I believe she was widely reputed be one of the smartest law clerks in the building. My friend, Professor Noah Feldman up at Harvard has said as much repeatedly but ive really had the privilege, my wife and I have of being friends with Amy and Jessie Barrett. For a long time, neighbors and colleagues with faculty of the Notre Dame LAW School shes, a beloved teacher, she always wins the teacher award, so none of the rest of us always have a chance to win it. Ainsley shes the godmother to one of your daughters right. She is a godmother to my middle daughter and our children are friends, theyve kind of grown up together. Just the other day when the barrettes got back from the rose garden ceremony, I looked out the window and my youngest son and her young boys were having some kind of a Jedi

war in the backyard, and it was a nice picture. Ainsley thats cute were showing the pictures of your kids playing together and real quickly. She has seven children and thats, just amazing and shes adopted two children. What do you know about that? I know the family very well, like I said, weve been neighbors the whole time our siblings kind of our children kind of match up pretty well as friends, so ive been able to watch her kids grow up and I just admire how that family works together as a team, both Amy and Jessie, and all of the kids. Frankly, they all pitch into make this collective team effort work well and it does its very impressive all over South Bend, it isnt a very big town, everybody who knows the barrettes kind of admires them and wonders how they do it, but they do it very well- and you know theyre involved not just with their own family, but with Jessie Barretts coached, my kids, soccer teams and

Amy Barretts been the classroom mom for some of my kids kindergarten classes, so theyre engaged in the community and theyre very generous with their time Ainsley Rick thats. All the.