American Bar Association Gives Amy Coney Barrett Highest Possible Rating

The American Bar Association rated Supreme Court nominee Amy Coney Barrett “well qualified” ahead of the nominee’s hearings on Capitol Hill.

“The Standing committee confines its evaluation to the qualities of integrity, professional competence, and judicial temperament,” ABA Standing Committee Chair Randall D. Noel wrote in a Sunday letter to Sen. Lindsey Graham of South Carolina and Sen. Dianne Feinstein of California, the chairman and ranking member, respectively, of the Senate Judiciary Committee.

“A substantial majority of the Standing Committee determined that Judge Barrett is ‘Well Qualified,’ and a minority is of the opinion that she is “Qualified” to serve on the Supreme Court of the United States,” the letter continued.  “The majority rating represents the Standing Committee’s official rating.”

“Well qualified” is the highest possible rating that the ABA will attach to a nominee. President Donald Trump’s first and second nominees to the Supreme Court, Justices Brett Kavanaugh and Neil Gorsuch, also received “well qualified” scores.

The letter came the day before Barrett’s confirmation hearings on Capitol Hill.

Media and Democratic attacks on the Supreme Court nominee have sparked a backlash with both conservatives and Republican lawmakers.

Judicial Crisis Network has launched several ads in Barrett’s defense: “Stop The Bigotry,” an ad that calls for an end of attacks on Barrett’s faith, and “JFK,” wherein former President John F. Kennedy warns against anti-Catholic attacks.

A Morning Consult and Politico poll released Wednesday found that voters are increasingly backing the confirmation of Barrett: almost half, or 46%, of voters polled between Oct. 2 – 4 said that the Senate should confirm Barrett. This was an increase of nine percentage points since Trump first announced he was nominating Barrett on Sept. 26, according to the poll.