Old North News

A North Carolina resident and an active Catholic says Judge Amy Coney Barrett is highly qualified to sit on the U.S. Supreme Court and that the personal attacks on her faith and family are "insulting."

"I’m excited that Judge Amy Coney Barrett is the nominee; she is obviously an exceptionally qualified person with deeply held convictions," Laura Walsh told the the Old North News. "Her openly stated love for our Constitution and her commitment to originalism are what matter to me."

According to Walsh, anyone serving in public life can practice any faith and one's religion should not affect their serving in public office.

"The wonderful thing about being an American is that you can practice whatever faith you choose while serving in public life," Walsh said. "Our laws make it crystal clear that ones’ religion can not be used in any way to determine ones’ ability to serve in public office – where someone chooses to attend church should not enter into the equation when discussing Supreme Court nominees.

"The United States and the Catholic church are built on the same foundation of moral truth, and being a good Catholic and good American are not mutually exclusive." 

Barrett's religion has been the focus of questioning at her confirmation hearing and she said she expected attacks against her faith and her family when she was nominated, Fox News reported. Barrett has been questioned repeatedly on abortion, Obamacare and gun rights among numerous other issues. 

"We knew that our lives would be combed over for any negative detail," Barrett said to the Senate Judiciary Committee as reported by Fox News. "We knew that our faith would be caricatured. We knew our family would be attacked. And so we had to decide whether those difficulties would be worth it because what sane person would go through that if there wasn't a benefit on the other side." 

"I have found the many personal attacks on Judge Barrett’s faith and family to be extremely insulting, especially as a practicing Catholic and a wife and mother myself," Walsh said. She said for Catholics, when they see their beliefs scrutinized the way Barrett's have been, "It’s important to be graceful, but I certainly don’t think that means we should be quiet when our faith is mischaracterized and smeared.

"Catholics should practice openly and actively inform ourselves and others on both church teaching and the protections afforded to us in the Constitution. All Christians should be able to speak confidently and truthfully on matters of both faith and government."