It's right there in the U.S. Constitution. You can read it for yourself.
Article 6, Section 3, tells us that "no religious test shall ever be required as a qualification to any office or public trust under the United States."
It's pretty clear, we think. We have freedom of religion in this country and one's choice of faith has no bearing on one's fitness to serve in public office.
We have heard quite a bit about this over the past few years from the left, specifically regarding whether Muslims should be allowed to serve as judges. Some on the far right believe that would lead to Sharia law in this country. Most others say that notion is nonsense. Democrats and others on their side of the aisle like to brand anyone with such fears as an Islamophobe at best, an all-out bigot at worst.
Well, let he or she without sin
President Donald Trump tapped a Notre Dame law professor named Amy Coney Barrett to be a judge on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 7th Circuit in Chicago. That means she has to be confirmed by the U.S. Senate.
Barrett is a distinguished legal scholar and would bring a wealth of knowledge to the court. One would think she would be a shoe-in for the position.
Not so fast. Last week the Senate Judiciary Committee took up her nomination. But Democratic U.S. Sen. Dianne Feinstein of California appeared more interested in Barrett's Roman Catholic faith than anything else. And indeed suggested her Catholicism might unduly influence her decisions from the bench.
What country are we in again?
The concern, obviously, is legal abortion, which is opposed by the Roman Catholic Church and many Protestant denominations as well. Barrett said she would make her decisions based on law, not personal beliefs or faith. But the vote is pending and the idea that a qualified nominee could be denied a judgeship based on religion-any religion-is disturbing to anyone who values the Constitution.
Feinstein is way off base here. She is just as bad as those she would in all likelihood label Islamophobic. She owes Barrett an apology and a vote based solely on her merits.