Statement on Confirmation of Amy Coney Barrett to Supreme Court

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: October 27, 2020

New York - Today, Hispanic Federation, one of the nation’s leading organizations dedicated to supporting and empowering the Latino community, issued the following statement in response to the confirmation of Amy Coney Barrett as an Associate Justice of the Supreme Court. Hispanic Federation President Frankie Miranda said:

“Yesterday's confirmation of Amy Coney Barrett as an Associate Justice of the Supreme Court had nothing to do with justice and everything to do with a rush to undermine the will of the electorate and cement an extreme conservative ideology on the Court for decades to come. Senate Republicans made it crystal clear on Monday that the voice and rights of the 62 million Americans who have already voted in the 2020 election – and the millions yet to come – do not matter. It is a damaging and spiteful blow to our democracy. There is no other way to say it, it is shameful.

The Supreme Court, perhaps more than any other institution in our country, derives its legitimacy from the faith of the American people; faith that the administration of justice will be fair and equal. In the course of Coney Barret's nomination, Republicans have traded away that faith in exchange for a cheap political score. They have diminished the Supreme Court and our confidence in its ability to mete out justice.

The consequences of Coney Barret's confirmation are likely to be felt in every sector of American life: health care, voting rights, immigrant rights, reproductive rights, marriage equality and LGBTQ rights, the environment, and labor protections.

Now more than ever before, we must all be vigilant and steadfast in our defense of equality and justice. This is the time to gather together in common cause and defend American values and the rights that define us. We must go out and vote. After the elections, we must demand that our legislative leaders think strategically and boldly about the steps that they plan to take to protect us. They will have a lot of work to do to restore the people's confidence in our nation's highest court and our democracy.”