Senator’s Questioning of Judicial Nominee’s Faith Borders on ‘Unconstitutional’
Jason Yates, CEO of the nonpartisan movement My Faith Votes says Democratic California Sen. Dianne Feinstein should apologize for her remarks about judicial nominee Amy Barrett’s Catholic faith during her recent confirmation hearing, and that Feinstein’s remarks were “ignorant and unacceptable.”
“Sen. Feinstein owes an apology to judicial nominee Amy Barrett and, for that matter, the American people,” Yates says. “Her questioning of Barrett’s Catholic faith during her judicial confirmation hearing was completely unacceptable and borderline unconstitutional.
“Sadly, this tactic of attacking a nominee’s faith to discredit their candidacy is not new. Barely a few months ago we all saw Sen. Bernie Sanders lambast another of the administration’s nominee for believing a basic Christian doctrine. The truth is that the only ‘dogma’ displayed in these lines of questioning is the dogma of elected officials discriminating against people of faith, and, whether you’re religious or not, we should all agree this is both ignorant and unacceptable.”
The Washington Post reported that Feinstein, a stalwart defender of abortion rights, said this about Barrett, a nominee for judgeship on the 7th Circuit, had concerns about the ‘dogma’ of Barrett’s faith. Feinstein said:
“Why is it that so many of us on this side have this very uncomfortable feeling that—you know, dogma and law are two different things. And I think whatever a religion is, it has its own dogma. The law is totally different. And I think in your case, professor, when you read your speeches, the conclusion one draws is that the dogma lives loudly within you, and that’s of concern when you come to big issues that large numbers of people have fought for years in this country.”
Many on the right are alleging that Feinstein is applying a “religious test” to Barrett, something that has become commonplace among political leftists.
Article VI of the U.S. Constitution prohibits this saying that, “no religious test shall ever be required as a qualification to any office or public trust under the United States.”
My Faith Votes—whose founding honorary national chairman was Dr. Ben Carson—is a nonpartisan movement focused on motivating Christians in America to participate in local and national elections and be active members of society.
