Death penalty

Amy Coney Barrett’s devout Catholicism has raised questions from critics regarding her obligations when ruling in a death penalty case. While Barrett was a professor with Notre Dame, she co-authored an article with now-President of Catholic University of America titled, “Catholic Judges in Capital Cases.”

“Catholic judges must answer some complex moral and legal questions in deciding whether to sit in death penalty cases. Sometimes (as with direct appeals of death sentences) the right answers are not obvious. But in a system that effectively leaves the decision up to the judge, these are questions that responsible Catholics must consider seriously,” Barrett wrote. While Barrett worked as a law clerk for the late Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia she assisted him on multiple death penalty cases.”Judges cannot — nor should they try to — align our legal system with the Church’s moral teaching whenever the two diverge,” she continued int he article.