It was announced by President Trump that Amy Coney Barrett would be his nominee for the Supreme Court on September 26. Here’s what you need to know about her.
Affiliation with People of Praise
Although Amy Coney Barrett faces questions about how her Catholic faith influences her judging, she has not publicly commented on her affiliation with People of Praise, a small Christian group founded in the 1970s and based in South Bend, Indiana.
Role in the Organization
Barrett, a federal appeals court judge, has revealed that she serves on the board of a network of private Christian schools associated with the group. However, the organization has declined to confirm that she is a member. In recent years, the organization has removed older editions of the People of Praise magazine from its website, including those featuring her name and image, as well as all archives of the magazine itself.
Leadership Role and Active Participation
Barrett has had an active role in the organization, as have her parents, according to documents and interviews that help elucidate her involvement in a group that maintains its teachings and gatherings privately. According to the People of Praise 2010 guide, she held the title of “handmaid,” a leadership position for women in the community. Additionally, while studying at law school, Barrett lived in South Bend with the influential founder of People of Praise, Kevin Ranaghan, and his wife Dorothy, who together helped create the male-dominated hierarchy and their views on gender roles.
Beliefs and Social Issues
The group is considered one that emerged from the charismatic Christian movement, seeking a more intense religious experience and community engagement through shared practices such as communal living, healing faith, and speaking in tongues. The group is known for its conservative stances on women’s roles in society and other social issues. Barrett’s connections to the group did not surface even after she was questioned by senators considering her Supreme Court nomination in 2017.
Impact on Judging
Barrett has stated that judges are not policymakers and that she does not impose her personal beliefs on the law. Regarding her membership in People of Praise and her time serving as a handmaid, Sean Connolly, a spokesperson for the group, said, “Like many religious communities, People of Praise leaves it up to its members to decide how to publicly disclose their participation in our community.” White House spokesman Judd Deer described Barrett as “an independent judge with an exceptional record” and considered The Post’s questions to be disrespectful.
Gender Roles
The title “handmaid” was adopted by People of Praise in reference to the biblical description of Mary as “the handmaid of the Lord,” according to the group. Former members, including Art Wang, a member from the late 1980s until 2015, stated that handmaids, now known as “women leaders,” provide counsel to other women on issues like child-rearing and marriage. However, the role does not carry authority equivalent to the positions held by men in the group’s formal hierarchy.
Foundation of People of Praise
People of Praise was founded in 1971 by Ranaghan and Paul DeCelles, young academics at the University of Notre Dame. It was established as a “covenant community,” where members seek a close-knit community with a shared commitment.
Gender Roles and Social Issues
The group relied on men to teach members how to manage their families according to their interpretation of biblical principles of gender roles. One former member stated in an interview, “Women were homemakers; they were there to support their husbands. My father was the head of the family and the decision-maker.” A person raised in the community was taught not to appear smarter than males in conversation. “I was aware of the difference from a young age; I was aware it would have been better if I were a boy.”
Influence
On the Judiciary
John Via, a prominent historian of religion in the United States at a Christian university, stated that he believes it is fair to ask Senator Barrett how she sees the integration of her small community with the national judgment. However, he noted that the People of Praise’s belief in distinct gender roles is similar to what many advocate and live by in America today, across various religions such as Catholicism, Southern Baptist Convention, Islam, and Orthodox Judaism.
Personal Life
When President Trump presented Barrett as his nominee in the Rose Garden at the White House on September 26, Barrett described her husband as doing “more than his share of the work” in raising their seven children. She said, “Unfortunately for me, I recently found out at dinner that my children consider him the better cook. For 21 years, Jesse has asked me every morning what he can do for me that day. And although I always say ‘nothing,’ he still finds ways to lighten my load.”
Changes to the Website
Many references to Barrett and her family that previously appeared on the official People of Praise website have been removed, according to a review of archived copies of the site hosted by the Internet Archive. Links to at least 10 issues of Vine & Branches magazine that included mentions of Barrett or family members were taken down during the first half of 2017. In one of the removed issues, from May 2006, Barrett was featured at the group’s women leaders conference in South Bend. The accompanying article described the event as “three days of lectures, talks, and conversations, all revealing the power of love.”
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