Justice Amy Coney Barrett
Amy Coney Barrett is an Associate Justice of the Supreme Court of the United States. She was nominated by President Donald J. Trump and has served on the Court since her confirmation in October 2020.
Born in New Orleans, Louisiana, in 1972, Barrett graduated from Rhodes College and earned her law degree from Notre Dame Law School, where she graduated first in her class. She clerked for Judge Laurence Silberman on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit and for Justice Antonin Scalia. Before joining the Court, she was a professor at Notre Dame Law School and served as a judge on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit from 2017 to 2020.
“No one disputes that the Executive has a duty to follow the law. But the Judiciary does not have unbridled authority to enforce this obligation—in fact, sometimes the law prohibits the Judiciary from doing so. See, e. g., Marbury v. Madison, 1 Cranch 137 (1803) (concluding that James Madison had violated the law but holding that the Court lacked jurisdiction to issue a writ of mandamus ordering him to follow it). . . . Observing the limits on judicial authority—including, as relevant here, the boundaries of the Judiciary Act of 1789—is required by a judge's oath to follow the law.”
— Trump v. CASA, Inc. (2025)
Notable Opinions
Trump v. CASA, Inc.
OT 2024 Majority OpinionHeld that universal (nationwide) injunctions exceed the judiciary's power, concluding that federal courts lack authority to issue injunctions binding nonparties to the case before the court.
Biden v. Nebraska
OT 2022 ConcurrenceOffered a detailed explanation of the major questions doctrine, arguing that courts should look for a clear statement from Congress before assuming it has delegated authority over issues of vast economic and political significance.
Vidal v. Elster
OT 2023 ConcurrenceDisagreed with the Court's reliance on "history and tradition" to settle the constitutional question, proposing that viewpoint-neutral, content-based trademark restrictions are permissible so long as they are reasonable in light of the trademark system's purpose.
United States v. Rahimi
OT 2023 ConcurrenceSupported the majority's refinement of the Bruen test, arguing that courts need only determine whether a challenged regulation is consistent with the principles underpinning our regulatory tradition, not require a precise historical precursor.
Opinions by Supreme Court Term
- October Term 2025
- October Term 2024
- October Term 2023
- October Term 2022
- October Term 2021
- October Term 2020
Prior Judicial Service
Scholarship
Latest Opinions
Bost v. Illinois Bd. of Elections
Concurrence JusticiabilityArgued that Congressman Bost has standing because he suffered a traditional pocketbook injury, not because of his status as a candidate.
Learning Resources, Inc. v. Trump
Concurrence Statutory InterpretationWrote separately to push back on Justice Gorsuch's view of the major questions doctrine, arguing the Court has not embraced it as a strong-form rule imposing a “clarity tax” on Congress.