Politics

Republicans sink to new lows with hideouasly disrespectful ‘Notorious ACB’ t-shirts in support of Amy Coney Barrett

Amy Coney Barrett Ruth Bader Ginsburg

Amy Coney Barrett (Chip Somodevilla/Getty)

Republicans have been accused of disrespecting the memory of Supreme Court justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg by selling a t-shirt stealing her famous moniker.

Ginsburg, who died on 18 September, was often referred to as The Notorious RBG in recognition of her tireless pursuit of equality for women.

On Saturday (26 September), Trump named Amy Coney Barrett, a staunchly anti-LGBT+ conservative judge, as his nominee to fill Ginsburg’s place on the Supreme Court.

And within hours, the National Republican Senatorial Committee (NRSC), an organisation dedicated to maintaining a Republican majority in the Senate, was advertising t-shirts bearing Barrett’s image along with the slogan “Notorious ACB”.

The organisation is selling the t-shirts for $20, but they give the option of donating up to $5,000 in an effort to secure Barrett’s place on the Supreme Court.

Republicans have been widely criticised for using Ruth Bader Ginsburg’s nickname for Amy Coney Barrett.

“Democrats will do ANYTHING to stop President Trump and Senate Republicans from filling the Supreme Court vacancy,” the page’s description says.

“Protecting our majority has never been more important. HELP!”

In a tweet promoting the t-shirt, the organisation said: “Show your support for president Trump’s Supreme Court nominee, Judge Amy Coney Barrett, with your very own Notorious ACB t-shirt!”

The NRSC has been widely criticised on Twitter for selling the “limited edition” t-shirt, with many accusing the group of disrespecting Ginsburg’s memory.

https://twitter.com/lindyli/status/1310038396912439297

However, others suggested that the t-shirt is merely an attempt by Republicans to distract from the real issues.

Many LGBT+ people have expressed concerns after Barrett was named as Trump’s pick for the Supreme Court on Saturday (26 September).

A part-time University of Notre Dame law professor, Barrett, 48, has previously espoused her view that marriage is between a man and a woman.

In 2015, she signed a letter to the Ordinary Synod of Bishops on the Family, declaring support for “the Church’s teachings… on the meaning of human sexuality, the significance of sexual difference and the complementarity of men and women; on openness to life… and on marriage and family founded on the indissoluble commitment of a man and a woman”.

In 2017, Barrett was grilled by Democratic senators during her confirmation hearing to become a United States circuit judge on whether her staunch Catholic beliefs would affect her judgement on issues such as same-sex marriage and abortion.

Senator Dianne Feinstein told Barrett: “The dogma lives loudly within you, and that’s of concern when you come to big issues that large numbers of people have fought for for years in this country.”

At the time, 27 LGBT+ rights groups opposed Barrett’s confirmation in an open letter, expressing concern that “her religiously-infused moral beliefs would inform her judicial decision-making”.

If Barrett is confirmed by the Senate, the Supreme Court would shift to a strong 6 to 3 conservative majority which could remain in place for decades, shaping major legal decisions in the US for years to come.

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