Connecticut excessive court docket nominee regrets signing 2017 letter supporting Amy Coney Barrett

HARTFORD, Conn. — A nominee to the Connecticut Supreme Court docket informed state lawmakers Monday that she wouldn’t have signed a 2017 letter supporting Amy Coney Barrett for a federal appeals court docket place if she knew Barrett would later vote to overturn Roe v. Wade abortion protections as a member of the U.S. Supreme Court docket.

Sandra Slack Glover, a federal prosecutor nominated by Democratic Gov. Ned Lamont, made the remark throughout her affirmation listening to earlier than the legislature’s Judiciary Committee, as a number of members of the Democratic majority expressed issues about her assist of Barrett. The committee was scheduled to vote on Glover’s nomination later within the day.

“I’m not going to demonize her,” Glover mentioned of Barrett. “However after I take a look at that letter now … I’m not comfy with a few of these statements.

“However I additionally believed, clearly naively at this level, I believed there have been guardrails,” she mentioned, referring to judges’ respect for authorized precedents. “And I believed the decrease court docket judges have been constrained. I believed the Supreme Court docket was constrained. And I used to be flawed. And looking out again and understanding what I now know, I shouldn’t have signed it.”

Glover added she was a agency supporter of abortion rights, from the views of each a lady and a lawyer.

Glover was amongst 34 individuals who served as U.S. Supreme Court docket legislation clerks in 1998, together with Barrett, who signed the 2017 letter to leaders of the Senate Judiciary Committee supporting Barrett’s nomination to the seventh U.S. Circuit Court docket of Appeals in Chicago. In 1998, Barrett was a clerk for Justice Antonin Scalia and Glover was a clerk for Justice Sandra Day O’Connor.

The letter mentioned the signees believed Barrett was “absolutely certified” to be a federal appeals decide.

“Professor Barrett is a lady of outstanding mind and character,” the letter mentioned. “She is eminently certified for the job. This view is unanimous — each legislation clerk from October Time period 1998 has joined this letter.

“Based mostly on our observations, we got here to respect Professor Barrett’s conscientious work ethic, her respect for the legislation, and her outstanding authorized talents,” it mentioned. “She performed herself with professionalism, grace, and integrity.”

Glover mentioned the letter was not an endorsement of Barrett’s political opinions.

Barrett was later nominated to the U.S. Supreme Court docket by President Donald Trump and was among the many conservative majority that overturned Roe v. Wade final 12 months. Throughout Senate hearings earlier than her affirmation, Barrett had mentioned she would obey stare decisis, the doctrine of courts giving weight to precedent when making choices.

State Rep. Patricia Dillon, a New Haven Democrat, mentioned the state Supreme Court docket was very important in performing as a “firewall” in opposition to the conservative majority on the U.S. Supreme Court docket.

“There’s some very dramatic issues taking place in Washington,” Dillon mentioned at Monday’s listening to. “If I might quote Justice (Elena) Kagan, really, the stakes couldn’t be increased on the state degree as a result of which may be the risk we’ve in relation to some points.”

All present justices on the seven-member state Supreme Court docket have been nominated by Democratic governors.

Glover, 52, of Guilford, is chief of the appellate unit on the Connecticut U.S. legal professional’s workplace, the place she has labored since 2004. She beforehand served as an appellate legal professional on the U.S. Division of Justice and in personal follow.