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Hawley Warns Democrats A Religious Litmus Test For SCOTUS Nominee Amy Coney Barrett Is Unconstitutional

‘There is a long history of anti-Catholic hatred by some in this country, and a growing tide of anti-religious animus on the Left now, and I hope you and your colleagues will not play any further part in it,’ Sen. Josh Hawley wrote.

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Sen. Josh Hawley, R-Mo., sent a letter to Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., urging him to pledge not to use “anti-Catholic, anti-Christian, anti-faith” interrogations in the upcoming confirmation hearing for President Trump’s SCOTUS nominee Amy Coney Barrett.

“There is a long history of anti-Catholic hatred by some in this country, and a growing tide of anti-religious animus on the Left now, and I hope you and your colleagues will not play any further part in it,” Hawley wrote. “Already, members of your caucus have said that they will do this again—that the nominee’s religious views will be a prime focus,” Hawley added.

In the letter, Hawley draws attention to Sen. Dianne Feinstein, D-Calif., Sen. Dick Durbin, D-Ill., and Sen. Mazie Hirono, D-Hawaii, who made “egregious personal attacks” on Barrett during her previous confirmation to become a federal judge. According to Hawley, Democratic senators’ targeting of Barrett’s Catholicism, specifically Feinstein’s infamous comments claiming that “the dogma lives loudly within you,” is “a clear and condescending disparagement of Judge Barrett’s Catholicism.”

“Religious bigotry has no place in the United States Senate. I ask that you and all your colleagues reject your past acts of intolerance, and commit to considering Judge Barrett’s nomination on the merits of her qualifications, not by slandering her faith—and the faith of millions of Americans,” Hawley said.

“Democrats’ offensive and wholly inappropriate attacks must not be repeated in this confirmation process,” he added.

While Hawley noted that Democrats’ application of “religious tests” has become more frequent in recent years, he condemned their actions and emphasized that the Constitution “bans religious tests” for those entering into a public service position in the United States.

“Over and over these last four years, your caucus has sought to return to the days of ‘religious tests,’ to exclude people of faith from public office and from the public square,” Hawley wrote. “Your members have attacked and attempted to disqualify nominees by questioning their views on the nature of sin, their beliefs about heaven and hell, their memberships in religious organizations, and the activities of their churches. But our Constitution bans religious tests.”