NEW ORLEANS — Ed. note: The above video is a 2018 WWLTV news story reporting on Amy Coney Barrett's then possible nomination for the vacancy left by Supreme Court Justice Kennedy. Scroll down for that story.
In 2018, after then-Supreme Court Justice Anthony Kennedy announced his intentions to retire, President Donald Trump was prompted to nominate someone to replace him, leading many to believe a Metairie native could soon join the men and women who preside over the Supreme Court and interpret the United States Constitution.
Friday, the second woman to ever be appointed to the court, Ruth Bader Ginsburg, died. She was 87, leading many to think again of the Metairie native: Amy Coney Barrett.
As a lawyer, Ginsburg brought test cases to the Supreme Court and was granted writs of certiorari, giving her the opportunity to argue against laws later struck down as sexist and unconstitutional.
With the passing of a woman from the nine-member team of judges, Trump said Saturday at a rally in Fayetteville, N.C. that he would appoint a woman to fill the Supreme Court vacancy left by Ginsburg's passing.
Trump's previously announced lists of possible nominations included Amy Coney Barrett.
The original 2018 story begins here:
Just three hours away from President Donald Trump announcing his pick for U.S. Supreme Court Justice, and those who know Metairie native Amy Coney Barrett, have been watching the process closely.
"It will solidify the law for many generations to come, so she will have a huge impact," said Sharon Rodi, an attorney and graduate of Dominican High School, where she served on the President's Advisory Board.
At 8 p.m., President Trump is expected to nominate his choice from a shortlist of four.
Among them is Amy Coney Barrett, who has many local ties to the New Orleans community.
Former classmates and teachers at Dominican and at St. Catherine of Siena in Metairie are all rooting for Barrett to be chosen, but many decided to talk to Eyewitness News behind the scenes.
Rodi graduated from Dominican in 1960, 30 years before Amy Coney Barrett, but when it came to her own nomination for the person she thought should win Dominican's 'Alumna of the Year,' she picked Barrett.
"I think it was almost a no brainer that she had accomplished so much in her field and in her own life,"
Rodi remembers the message Barrett delivered at her acceptance speech in April.
"She felt that she has been blessed in so many ways, and that she hopes she's given back to others a little bit of what she's been blessed with," said Rodi.
At St. Catherine of Siena, Barrett's teachers are no longer there, but several contemporaries of Barrett's told Eyewitness News over the phone, they remember her for being on student council, being religious, having impeccable leadership skills, beautiful inside and out, and the ultimate representative of what Dominican women strive to be. However, out of respect to the process with impending confirmation hearings and the judgemental political climate, none wanted to talk publicly.
"I'm not afraid to comment because I think that we all want good justices and Amy would be a good justice," said Rodi.
Rodi cited her integrity, how smart she is and that she would follow the Constitution, not an agenda. She said Barrett has a stellar reputation as well as being a family woman with seven children, one who has special needs and two adopted from Haiti. And she believes it is in her favor that just several months ago, she went through Senate Confirmation Hearings for her seat on the Seventh Circuit court of Appeals.
"She was grilled then. It would be hard for them to find things wrong with her that they didn't find before," said Rodi. "If Amy is not the one this time, I hope that they'll be more to come and that she may be chosen in the future."
Also below: a link to a C-SPAN video that begins with her Senate Confirmation Hearings for her seat on the Seventh Circuit court of Appeals and a Youtube video of a lecture at Hillsdale College where Barrett reflected on judging.
