Judge Amy Coney Barrett: Selected Primary Material
Legal Sidebari
Judge Amy Coney Barrett: Selected Primary
Material
September 28, 2020
On September 26, 2020, President Donald J. Trump announced the nomination of Judge Amy V. Coney
Barrett of the United States Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit (“Seventh Circuit”) to fill the
vacancy on the Supreme Court caused by Associate Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg’s death on September
18, 2020.
This Sidebar contains reference information about Judge Barrett, including a biography; a list of
publications she authored or coauthored; legislative documentation related to her previous nominations;
lists of her written opinions; a list of Supreme Court briefs to which she contributed; and additional
resources.
Biographical Sketch
Judge Barrett was nominated to the Seventh Circuit on May 8, 2017, by President Trump to a seat vacated
by Judge John Daniel Tinder. The Senate confirmed Judge Barrett to the seat she currently holds on
October 31, 2017. She received her commission on November 2, 2017.
Judge Barrett was born in New Orleans, LA, in 1972. She graduated magna cum laude from Rhodes
College with a B.A. in 1994 and summa cum laude from Notre Dame Law School with a J.D. in 1997.
Between 1995 and 1997, she held several summer associate positions at firms in Washington, DC, and
New Orleans, LA. She also held a research assistant position at Notre Dame Law School from 1995 to
1996.
From 1997 to 1998, she served as a law clerk for Judge Laurence H. Silberman of the U.S. Court of
Appeals for the District of Columbia. From 1998 to 1999, she was a law clerk for Associate Justice
Antonin Scalia of the U.S. Supreme Court.
In 1999, she entered private practice and worked as an associate at Miller, Cassidy, Larroca & Lewin LLP
in Washington, DC. In 2001, she joined Baker Botts LLP, also as an associate. According to her
committee questionnaire, her practice mostly centered on civil litigation.
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Judge Barrett held academic positions as an adjunct faculty member and fellow in law at the George
Washington University Law School from 2001 to 2002. In 2007, Judge Barrett was a visiting associate
professor of law at the University of Virginia.
Between 2002 and her appointment to the Seventh Circuit, Judge Barrett was a professor of law at Notre
Dame Law School where, according to the school’s website, she taught constitutional law, civil
procedure, evidence, federal courts, and seminars in constitutional theory and statutory interpretation.
Judge Barrett has been admitted to the bars for Virginia and the District of Columbia. She has also been a
member of the American Association of Law Schools (2017-2018), Advisory Committee on Federal
Rules of Appellate Procedure (2010-2016), and Solicitor General’s Resolution Committee to Honor
Antonin Scalia (2016).
Source: Composed by CRS from the Federal Judicial Center’s website visited on September 21, 2020;
Judge Barrett’s biography on the University of Notre Dame Law School’s website visited on September
23, 2020; the Almanac of the Federal Judiciary available online through WestlawNext; and the Senate
Committee on the Judiciary’s questionnaire from her confirmation to the Seventh Circuit.
Publications
Below is a selection of published legal writing by Judge Barrett. According to the Almanac of the
Federal Judiciary, “her scholarship focused primarily on constitutional interpretation, statutory
interpretation, and the power conferred upon federal courts by Article III.” Note: this list does not include
material written by other individuals about the judge; however, it does include interviews and articles in
which she gave remarks.
Books
Amy Coney Barrett, Federal Jurisdiction in The Encyclopedia of the Supreme Court of
the United States (2008)
Amy Coney Barrett, Federal Court Jurisdiction in American Governance (2016)
Amy Coney Barrett, Statutory Interpretation in American Governance (2016)
Excerpts from these books are available from CRS upon request.
Law Journal Articles
John H. Garvey & Amy V. Coney, Catholic Judges in Capital Cases, 81 Marquette L. Rev. 303
(1998)
Amy Coney Barrett, Stare Decisis and Due Process, 74 U. Colo. L. Rev. 1011 (2003)
Amy Coney Barrett, Statutory Stare Decisis in the Courts of Appeals, 73 Geo. Wash. L. Rev. 317
(2005)
Amy Coney Barrett, The Supervisory Power of the Supreme Court, 106 Colum. L. Rev. 324
(2006)
Amy Coney Barrett, Procedural Common Law, 94 Va. L. Rev. 813 (2008)
Amy Coney Barrett, Introduction: Stare Decisis and Nonjudicial Actors, 83 Notre Dame L. Rev.
1147 (2008)
Amy Coney Barrett, Substantive Canons and Faithful Agency, 90 B.U. L. Rev. 109 (2010)
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Amy Barrett, The Interpretation/Construction Distinction in Constitutional Law: Annual Meeting
of the AALS Section on Constitutional Law: Introduction, 27 Const. Comm. 1 (2010)
Amy Coney Barrett, Precedent and Jurisprudential Disagreement, 91 Tex. L. Rev. 1711 (2013)
Amy Coney Barrett, Suspension and Delegation, 99 Cornell L. Rev. 251 (2014)
Amy Coney Barrett, Countering the Majoritarian Difficulty, 32 Const. Comment. 61 (2017)
Amy Coney Barrett & John Copeland Nagle, Congressional Originalism, 19 U. Pa. J. Const. L. 1
(2017)
Amy Coney Barrett, Originalism and Stare Decisis, 92 Notre Dame L. Rev. 1921 (2017)
Amy Coney Barrett, Congressional Insiders and Outsiders, 84 U. Chi. L. Rev. 2193 (2017)
Amy Coney Barrett, David E. Bernstein, Paul D. Clement, Neomi Rao & David R. Stras, Scalia
Forum 2019: Panel Discussion, 26 Geo. Mason L. Rev. 19 (2018)
Amy Coney Barrett, Assorted Canards of Contemporary Legal Analysis: Redux, 70 Case W. Res.
L. Rev. 855 (2020)
Opinion, Editorials, and Letters
Amy Barrett, An Unlikely Blogger, PrawfsBlawg, Mar. 02, 2008
Amy Barrett, Sentencing Guidelines and Retroactivity, PrawfsBlawg, Mar. 03, 2008
Amy Barrett, Bobby Jindal and Ethics Reform in LA, PrawfsBlawg, Mar. 06, 2008
Amy Barrett, Grape Vodka, Anyone?, PrawfsBlawg, Mar. 10, 2008
Amy Barrett, Noogiegate, PrawfsBlawg, Mar. 25, 2008
Amy Barrett, Statutory Stare Decisis, PrawfsBlawg, Apr. 02, 2008
Other
Amy Barrett & Neal K. Katyal, The Suspension Clause, The National Constitution Center’s
Interactive Constitution
Christian Myers, Law Professor Reflects on Landmark Case, The Observer, Jan. 21, 2013
John Nagy, Students, Faculty Mark 40 Years of Roe, Notre Dame Magazine, Jan. 25, 2013
Source: Compiled by CRS from the Almanac of the Federal Judiciary available through Westlaw;
law journal and reviews files on HeinOnline, LexisAdvance and Westlaw; Judge Barrett’s
biography on the University of Notre Dame Law School’s website; and the Senate Committee on
the Judiciary’s questionnaire from her confirmation to the Seventh Circuit.
Written Court Opinions
Below are opinions, listed by date, credited as written by Judge Barrett.
United States v. Barnes, No. 17-2574, 883 F.3d 955 (7th Cir. Mar. 1, 2018)
Walton v. EOS CCA, No. 17-3040, 885 F.3d 1024 (7th Cir. Mar. 21, 2018)
Webb v. Fin. Indus. Regulatory Auth., No. 17-2526, 889 F.3d 853 (7th Cir. May 8, 2018)
Perrone v. United States, No. 16-2437, 889 F.3d 898 (7th Cir. May 14, 2018)
Boogaard v. NHL, No. 17-2355, 891 F.3d 289 (7th Cir. May 25, 2018)
Dalton v. Teva N. Am., No. 17-1990, 891 F.3d 687 (7th Cir. June 4, 2018)
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Fiorentini v. Paul Revere Life Ins. Co., No. 17-3137, 893 F.3d 476 (7th Cir. June 21,
2018)
Goplin v. WeConnect, Inc., No. 18-1193, 893 F.3d 488 (7th Cir. June 21, 2018)
Wis. Cent. Ltd. v. TiEnergy, LLC, No. 17-2343, 894 F.3d 851 (7th Cir. July 3, 2018)
United States v. Lee, No. 17-2537, 897 F.3d 870 (7th Cir. July 30, 2018)
Smith v. Rosebud Farm, Inc., No. 17-2626, 898 F.3d 747 (7th Cir. Aug. 2, 2018)
United States v. Williams, No. 18-1002, 900 F.3d 486 (7th Cir. Aug. 15, 2018)
United States v. Watson, No. 17-1651, 900 F.3d 892 (7th Cir. Aug. 17, 2018)
Walker v. Price, No. 17-1345, 900 F.3d 933 (7th Cir. Aug. 20, 2018)
Beley v. Chicago, No. 17-1449, 901 F.3d 823 (7th Cir. Aug. 23, 2018)
Alvarenga-Flores v. Sessions, No. 17-2920, 901 F.3d 922 (7th Cir. Aug. 28, 2018)
Cleven v. Soglin, No. 17-3332, 903 F.3d 614 (7th Cir. Sept. 10, 2018)
EEOC v. Costco Wholesale Corp., Nos. 17-2432 & 17-2454, 903 F.3d 618 (7th Cir. Sept.
10, 2018)
Herrington v. Waterstone Mortg. Corp., No. 17-3609, 907 F.3d 502 (7th Cir. Oct. 22,
2018)
United States v. Kienast, Nos. 17-1840, 17-1989, & 17-2439, 907 F.3d 522 (7th Cir. Oct.
23, 2018)
United States v. King, Nos. 17-1275, 16-2260, 16-3084, & 16-4212, 910 F.3d 320 (7th
Cir. Dec. 6, 2018)
Beltran-Aguilar v. Whitaker, No. 18-1799, 912 F.3d 420 (7th Cir. Jan. 2, 2019)
United States v. Hagen, No. 18-1579, 911 F.3d 891 (7th Cir. Jan. 2, 2019)
Yafai v. Pompeo, No. 18-1205, 912 F.3d 1018 (7th Cir. Jan. 4, 2019)
Rainsberger v. Benner, No. 17-2521, 913 F.3d 640 (7th Cir. Jan. 15, 2019)
Ruderman v. Whitaker, No. 17-1689, 914 F.3d 567 (7th Cir. Jan. 29, 2019)
United States v. Moody, No. 18-1837, 915 F.3d 425 (7th Cir. Feb. 7, 2019)
United States v. Vaccaro, No. 18-1753, 915 F.3d 431 (7th Cir. Feb. 7, 2019)
United States v. Terry, No. 18-1305, 915 F.3d 1141 (7th Cir. Feb. 14, 2019)
Sansone v. Brennan, Nos. 17-3534 & 17-3632, 917 F.3d 975 (7th Cir. Mar. 6, 2019)
Herrera-Garcia v. Barr, Nos. 18-1511 & 18-3196, 918 F.3d 558 (7th Cir. Mar. 18, 2019)
Williams v. Norfolk Southern Corp., No. 18-2517, 919 F.3d 469 (7th Cir. Mar. 19, 2019)
United States v. Briggs, No. 18-1415, 919 F.3d 1030 (7th Cir. Mar. 27, 2019)
United States v. Cherry, No. 18-1157, 921 F.3d 690 (7th Cir. Apr. 17, 2019)
Carter v. City of Alton, No. 18-2636, 922 F.3d 824 (7th Cir. Apr. 30, 2019)
Varlen Corp. v. Liberty Mut. Ins. Co., No. 17-3212, 924 F.3d 456 (7th Cir. May 16, 2019)
Weil v. Metal Techs., Inc., Nos. 18-2556 & 18-2440, 925 F.3d 352 (7th Cir. May 29,
2019)
Casillas v. Madison Ave. Assocs., Inc., No. 17-3162, 926 F.3d 329 (7th Cir. June 4, 2019)
Acevedo v. Cook Cty. Officers Electoral Bd., No. 18-2979, 925 F.3d 944 (7th Cir. June 5,
2019)
Fessenden v. Reliance Std. Life Ins. Co., No. 18-1346, 927 F.3d 998 (7th Cir. June 25,
2019)
Doe v. Purdue Univ., No. 17-3565, 928 F.3d 652 (7th Cir. June 28, 2019)
Emmis Comm. Corp. v. Ill. Nat’l Ins. Co., No. 18-3392, 929 F.3d 441 (7th Cir. July 2,
2019). This opinion was withdrawn on rehearing on Aug. 21, 2019.
Conroy v. Thompson, No. 17-3624, 929 F.3d 818 (7th Cir. July 11, 2019)
Carello v. Aurora Policemen Credit Union, No. 18-2887, 930 F.3d 830 (7th Cir. July 15,
2019)
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Graham v. Arctic Zone Iceplex, LLC, No. 18-3508, 930 F.3d 926 (7th Cir. July 23, 2019)
United States v. Walker, No. 18-3529, 931 F.3d 576 (7th Cir. July 23, 2019)
Mathews v. REV Rec. Grp., Inc., No. 18-1982, 931 F.3d 619 (7th Cir. July 26, 2019)
Chronis v. United States, No. 17-3093, 932 F.3d 544 (7th Cir. July 29, 2019)
Torry v. Chicago, No. 18-1935, 932 F.3d 579 (7th Cir. Aug. 2, 2019)
Smith v. Ill. Dep’t of Trans., No. 18-2948, 936 F.3d 554 (7th Cir. Aug. 21, 2019)
Lexington Ins. Co. v. Hotai Ins. Co., Ltd., No. 18-1141, 938 F.3d 874 (7th Cir. Sept. 12,
2019)
United States v. Atwood, No. 18-2113, 941 F.3d 883 (7th Cir. Oct. 24, 2019)
Groves v. United States, No. 17-2937, 941 F.3d 315 (7th Cir. Oct. 25, 2019)
PMT Mach. Sales, Inc. v. Yama Seiki USA, Inc., No. 18-3484, 941 F.3d 325 (7th Cir.
Oct. 28, 2019)
Clanton v. United States, No. 18-3060, 943 F.3d 319 (7th Cir. Nov. 7, 2019)
Green v. Howser, No. 18-2757, 942 F.3d 772 (7th Cir. Nov. 7, 2019)
United States v. Allgire, No. 19-2348, 946 F.3d 365 (7th Cir. Dec. 26, 2019)
Lett v. Chicago, No. 19-1463, 946 F.3d 398 (7th Cir. Jan. 6, 2020)
Elston v. Cty. of Kane, No. 19-1746, 948 F.3d 884 (7th Cir. Jan. 28, 2020)
A.F. Moore & Assocs., Inc. v. Pappas, Nos. 19-1971 & 19-1979, 948 F.3d 889 (7th Cir.
Jan. 29, 2020)
Crosby v. Chicago, Nos. 18-3693 & 19-1439, 949 F.3d 358 (7th Cir. Feb. 5, 2020). This
opinion was amended.
Gadelhak v. AT&T Servs., Inc., No. 19-1738, 950 F.3d 458 (7th Cir. Feb. 19, 2020)
United States v. Geary, No. 19-2299, 952 F.3d 911 (7th Cir. Mar. 13, 2020)
United States v. Young, No. 18-3679, 955 F.3d 608 (7th Cir. Apr. 7, 2020)
Vega v. Chi. Park Dist., Nos 19-1926 & 19-1939, 954 F.3d 996 (7th Cir. Apr. 7, 2020)
O’Neal v. Reilly, No. 19-2981, 961 F.3d 973 (7th Cir. June 9, 2020)
Morales v. Barr, No. 19-1999, 963 F.3d 629 (7th Cir. June 26, 2020). This opinion was
amended.
Purtue v. Wis. Dep’t of Corr., No. 19-2706, 963 F.3d 598 (7th Cir. June 26, 2020)
Ruckelhaus v. Cowan, No. 19-2770, 963 F.3d 641 (7th Cir. June 26, 2020)
United States v. Kennedy-Robey, No. 19-2421, 963 F.3d 688 (7th Cir. June 29, 2020)
J.S.T. Corp. v. Foxconn Interconnect Tech. Ltd., No. 19-2465, 965 F.3d 571 (7th Cir. July
13, 2020)
Estate of Biegert v. Molitor, No. 19-2837, 968 F.3d 693 (7th Cir. July 31, 2020)
Wallace v. Grubhub Holdings, Inc., Nos. 19-1564 & 19-2156, 970 F.3d 798 (7th Cir. Aug.
4, 2020)
VHC, Inc. v. Comm’r of Internal Revenue, Nos. 18-3717 & 18-3718, 968 F.3d 839 (7th
Cir. Aug. 6, 2020)
Shakman v. Clerk of the Circuit Ct. of Cook Cnty., No. 19-2772, 969 F.3d 810 (7th Cir.
Aug. 12, 2020)
Pittman v. Cty. of Madison, No. 19-2956, 970 F.3d 823 (7th Cir. Aug. 14, 2020)
Burlaka v. Contract Transp. Servs. LLC, No. 19-1703, --- F.3d ----, 2020 U.S. App.
LEXIS 26713, 2020 WL 4915630 (7th Cir. Aug. 21, 2020)
Protect Our Parks, Inc. v. Chi. Park Dist., Nos. 19-2308 & 19-3333, --- F.3d ----, 2020
U.S. App. LEXIS 26714, 2020 WL 4915631 (7th Cir. Aug. 21, 2020)
United States v. Sparkman, No. 17-3318, --- F.3d ----, 2020 U.S. App. LEXIS 28100,
2020 WL 5247575 (7th Cir. Sept. 3, 2020)
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Concurring
Chazen v. Marske, No. 18-3268, 938 F.3d 851 (7th Cir. Sept. 9, 2019)
Williams v. Wexford Health Sources, Inc., No. 19-1018, 957 F.3d 828 (7th Cir. Apr. 30,
2020)
Yafai v. Pompeo, No. 18-1205, 924 F.3d 969 (7th Cir. May 23, 2019). This is a per
curiam opinion denying rehearing.
United States v. Wilson, No. 19-2503, 963 F.3d 701 (7th Cir. June 30, 2020)
Dissenting
Schmidt v. Foster, No. 17-1727, 891 F.3d 302 (7th Cir. May 29, 2018)
Sims v. Hyatte, No. 18-1573, 914 F.3d 1078 (7th Cir. Feb. 1, 2019)
Kanter v. Barr, No. 18-1478, 919 F.3d 437 (7th Cir. Mar. 15, 2019)
McCottrell v. White, No. 17-2295, 933 F.3d 651 (7th Cir. July 29, 2019)
Cook Cty. v. Wolf, No. 19-3169, 962 F.3d 208 (7th Cir. June 10, 2020)
United States v. Rutherford, No. 19-3012, 810 Fed. App’x 464 (7th Cir. June 23, 2020)
(unpublished order).
United States v. Uriarte, No. 19-2092, --- F.3d ----, 2020 U.S. App. LEXIS 29234, 2020
WL 5525119 (7th Cir. 2020)
Source: Compiled by CRS by searching for opinions written by Judge Barrett in the opinions
database on the Seventh Circuit’s website, and the Seventh Circuit opinions files in
LexisAdvance and Westlaw.
Legislative Documentation
Below is a selection of legislative materials concerning Judge Barrett’s confirmation to the Seventh
Circuit. Please note, this list does not include floor speeches on the nominee.
Hearing
Committee Questionnaire for Confirmation Hearings on the Nomination of Amy Coney Barrett
To Be Circuit Judge for the Seventh Circuit: Hearing Before the S. Comm. on the Judiciary,
115th Cong. (Sept. 6, 2017). Note: the Hearing also contains Judge Barrett’s responses to
questions for the record. (An unofficial transcript is available via CQ.com; however, a
subscription is required.)
Congressional Record
• Nominations, 163 Cong. Rec. S2819 (May 8, 2017).
• Executive Reports of Committee, 163 Cong. Rec. S6358 (Oct. 5, 2017).
• Executive Session, 163 Cong. Rec. S6838 (Oct. 26, 2017).
• Cloture Motion, 163 Cong. Rec. S6866 (Oct. 30. 2017).
• Executive Session, 163 Cong. Rec. S6886 (Oct. 31, 2017).
• Confirmations, 163 Cong. Rec. S6934 (Oct. 31, 2017).
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Source: Compiled by CRS by searching the Congressional Record on CQ.com for the Judge’s name.
News Coverage and Statements
White House
• Press Release, President Donald J. Trump Announces Intent to Nominate Judge Amy Coney
Barrett to the Supreme Court of the United States (September 26, 2020)
• Press Release, Remarks by President Trump Announcing His Nominee for Associate Justice of the
Supreme Court of the United States (September 26, 2020)
• Fact Sheets, Judge Amy Coney Barrett’s Exceptional Legal Experience, Expertise, and Judicial
Record Make Her the Right Choice to Serve on the Supreme Court (September 26, 2020)
Additional Resources
Law Library of Congress, Nominations Pending for the U.S. Supreme Court
Author Information
Julia Taylor
Section Head – Research and Library Services Section
Disclaimer
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