Following Ruth Bader Ginsburg’s death, President Trump has selected Amy Coney Barrett as the replacement. Coney Barrett has been a judge on the Seventh Circuit of Appeals since October 31, 2017.

It was assumed that she’d be nominated for the position that Justice Kavanaugh now holds, however that didn’t happen. There are speculations that this is due to her inexperience on the bench, and that she would need a few more years to qualify as a “well seasoned” judge.

Her appeal to American women that feel they are misrepresented in the court system shot her to fame when she acquired her position as a judge. There are some criticisms of her character though, specifically regarding her Catholicism.

She has been accused by many people in the media for being a religious zealot, as she has donated to various religious groups and is a part of many more; these connections make her a ripe target for people aiming to tarnish her character.

However, in the past, she has stated that her religious views do not affect her ability to do her job, such as during her 2017 hearing for her confirmation to the 7th US Circuit Court of Appeals.

While discussing her stance on Roe v. Wade, then-Judiciary Chair Chuck Grassley asked, “When is it proper for a judge to put their religious views above applying the law?”

“If there is ever a conflict between a judge’s personal conviction and that judge’s duty under the rule of law, that it is never, ever permissible for that judge to follow their personal convictions in the decision of the case rather than what the law requires,” Coney Barrett said.

This Supreme Court position and confirmation is possibly one of the most important in recent history. Like the Kavanaugh hearing, Democrats are trying to delay the confirmation until after the presidential hearing.  It is also historic because this is the third Supreme Court justice that could be confirmed by the Senate under Donald J. Trump.

This will heavily influence our court system and our democracy for years to come, as the judges that Trump has appointed are conservative leaning, and now the Supreme Court of the United States is more conservative than ever before.