CNA Staff, Oct 8, 2020 / 07:30 am
Vice President Mike Pence and Democratic vice-presidential nominee Sen. Kamala Harris (D-Calif.) sparred over accusations of anti-Catholic bias, the Knights of Columbus, and filling a Supreme Court vacancy before election day. The candidates spoke during the in-person debate held on Wednesday evening at the University of Utah.
Amy Coney Barrett, a Catholic judge on the Seventh Circuit Court of Appeals, was nominated by President Trump to fill the Supreme Court vacancy created by the death of Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg. Barrett is a mother of seven and a former law professor at the University of Notre Dame.
Debate moderator Susan Page, Washington bureau chief of USA Today, brought up Barrett's pending confirmation to the Supreme Court as a possible prelude to more abortion restrictions at the Court, including the repeal of Roe v. Wade.
Pence praised Barrett's "lifetime of experience and a sizable American family." Although baptized Catholic, Pence began attending an evangelical church with his family.