‘What else am I missing?’ Barrett forgets protest when listing 1st Amendment freedoms

Judge Amy Coney Barrett forgot the right to protest when asked to name the freedoms guaranteed by the First Amendment during her Senate confirmation hearing on Wednesday.

Sen. Ben Sasse, a Republican of Nebraska, asked the Supreme Court nominee what the freedoms are and Barrett named freedom of speech, religion, press and assembly before asking, “I don’t know, what else am I missing?”

Sasse responded, “redress, or protest.”

On Tuesday, Barrett was asked about her views on George Floyd, a Black man who died in Minneapolis police custody in May and whose death sparked an avalanche of protests across the nation.

“Senator, as you might imagine, given that I have two Black children, that was very, very personal for my family,” Barrett told Senate Minority Whip Dick Durbin, a Democrat from Illinois, who asked if she saw the police video.

Wednesday marks the third day of Senate hearings for Barrett, President Donald Trump’s nominee to fill Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg’s seat. Democrats have asked Barrett to answer questions on her views on abortion and repealing the Affordable Care Act, a health care reform law enacted under President Barack Obama that gave coverage to millions of Americans.

This story was originally published October 14, 2020 at 2:56 PM with the headline "‘What else am I missing?’ Barrett forgets protest when listing 1st Amendment freedoms."