Career Timeline of Amy Coney Barrett: Major Achievements and Milestones

How Amy Coney Barrett built a successful career. Explore key moments that defined the journey.

Amy Coney Barrett is an American jurist and Associate Justice of the Supreme Court, a position she has held since 2020. Nominated by President Donald Trump, she is the fifth woman to serve on the court. Prior to her Supreme Court appointment, she served as a U.S. circuit judge on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit from 2017 to 2020. Her career reflects a commitment to law and a conservative judicial philosophy.

Sections (4)

Full Timeline Early Life & Education Career & Achievements Controversies & Scandals

1997: Clerked for Judge Laurence Silberman

From 1997 to 1998, Amy Coney Barrett served as a judicial law clerk for Judge Laurence Silberman of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit.

1998: Clerked for Judge Laurence Silberman and Justice Antonin Scalia

In 1998, Amy Coney Barrett clerked for Judge Laurence Silberman of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit, and she began clerking for Justice Antonin Scalia of the U.S. Supreme Court.

1998: Co-authored law review article

In 1998, Amy Coney Barrett co-wrote a law review article with Professor John H. Garvey, arguing that Catholic judges should in some cases recuse themselves from death penalty cases due to moral objections. This article became a point of questioning during her 2017 Senate Judiciary Committee hearing.

1999: Practiced Law at Miller Cassidy Larroca & Lewin

From 1999, Amy Coney Barrett practiced law at Miller Cassidy Larroca & Lewin, a boutique law firm for litigation in Washington, D.C.

1999: Clerked for Justice Antonin Scalia

In 1999, Amy Coney Barrett completed her clerkship for Justice Antonin Scalia of the U.S. Supreme Court, a position she held from 1998.

2000: Worked on Bush v. Gore

In 2000, while at Baker Botts, Amy Coney Barrett worked on Bush v. Gore, providing research and briefing assistance for the firm's representation of George W. Bush.

2001: Visiting Associate Professor at George Washington University Law School

In 2001, Amy Coney Barrett was a visiting associate professor and John M. Olin Fellow in Law at George Washington University Law School.

2001: Law Firm Merger

In 2001, Miller Cassidy Larroca & Lewin, where Amy Coney Barrett practiced law, merged with the Houston, Texas-based law firm Baker Botts.

2002: Ended Practice at Baker Botts

In 2002, Amy Coney Barrett ended her law practice at Baker Botts.

2002: Joined Notre Dame Law School Faculty

In 2002, Amy Coney Barrett joined the faculty at Notre Dame Law School.

2005: Membership in the Federalist Society

From 2005 to 2006, Justice Barrett was a member of the Federalist Society.

2006: Membership in the Federalist Society

From 2005 to 2006, Justice Barrett was a member of the Federalist Society.

2007: Visiting Professor at the University of Virginia School of Law

In 2007, Amy Coney Barrett was a visiting professor at the University of Virginia School of Law.

2010: Became Professor at Notre Dame Law School

In 2010, Amy Coney Barrett became a professor at Notre Dame Law School.

2010: Named Professor of Law at Notre Dame

In 2010, Amy Coney Barrett was named a professor of law at Notre Dame.

2010: Appointed to Advisory Committee for the Federal Rules of Appellate Procedure

In 2010, Chief Justice John Roberts appointed Amy Coney Barrett to serve on the Advisory Committee for the Federal Rules of Appellate Procedure.

2011: Spoke at Blackstone Legal Fellowship

From 2011 to 2016, Amy Coney Barrett spoke on constitutional law at Blackstone Legal Fellowship, a summer program for law school students established by Alliance Defending Freedom.

2012: Criticism of National Federation of Independent Businesses v. Sebelius

In 2012, the Supreme Court decided National Federation of Independent Businesses v. Sebelius. Justice Barrett has been critical of the majority opinion written by Chief Justice John Roberts in National Federation of Independent Businesses v. Sebelius.

2013: Texas Law Review Article on Stare Decisis

In a 2013 article in the Texas Law Review, Justice Barrett identified cases she considered "superprecedents," excluding Roe v. Wade (1973) because it lacked widespread public and political support.

2014: Held Research Chair of Law

From 2014 to 2017, Amy Coney Barrett held Notre Dame's Diane and M.O. Miller II Research Chair of Law.

2014: Membership in the Federalist Society

From 2014 to 2017, Justice Barrett was a member of the Federalist Society.

2016: Spoke at Blackstone Legal Fellowship

Until 2016, Amy Coney Barrett spoke on constitutional law at Blackstone Legal Fellowship, a summer program for law school students established by Alliance Defending Freedom. She had been speaking there since 2011.

May 8, 2017: Nominated to U.S. Court of Appeals

On May 8, 2017, President Donald Trump nominated Amy Coney Barrett to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit.

September 6, 2017: Senate Judiciary Committee Hearing

On September 6, 2017, the Senate Judiciary Committee held a hearing on Amy Coney Barrett's nomination. During the hearing, Senator Dianne Feinstein questioned Barrett about her views on faith and judicial responsibility, particularly in relation to death penalty cases.

October 5, 2017: Senate Judiciary Committee Recommended Barrett

On October 5, 2017, the Senate Judiciary Committee voted 11–9 on party lines to recommend Amy Coney Barrett and report her nomination to the full Senate.

2017: Senate Confirmation Hearing

During her 2017 Senate confirmation hearing for the 7th Circuit Court of Appeals, Justice Barrett stated that she would follow Supreme Court precedent.

2017: Membership in the Federalist Society

From 2014 to 2017, Justice Barrett was a member of the Federalist Society.

2017: U.S. Circuit Judge

In 2017, Amy Coney Barrett became a U.S. circuit judge of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit, a position she held until 2020.

2017: Joined Court on AutoZone Case

In 2017, Amy Coney Barrett joined the court as it received a petition for rehearing en banc in the AutoZone case. The Equal Employment Opportunity Commission argued that AutoZone's assignment of employees to different stores based on race violated Title VII of the Civil Rights Act. Barrett voted to deny the petition to rehear the case.

2017: Article in Constitutional Commentary

In 2017, Justice Barrett wrote an article in the law review Constitutional Commentary, reviewing a book by Randy E. Barnett and explaining her views on the importance of the Constitution's original public meaning.

2017: Criticism of Affordable Care Act Ruling

In 2017, Justice Barrett wrote that Chief Justice Roberts "pushed the Affordable Care Act beyond its plausible meaning to save the statute."

2017: Listed as potential Supreme Court nominee

Since 2017, almost immediately after her court of appeals confirmation, Barrett was on Trump's list of potential Supreme Court nominees.

2017: Held Research Chair of Law

Until 2017, Amy Coney Barrett held Notre Dame's Diane and M.O. Miller II Research Chair of Law, a position she had held since 2014.

May 2018: Dissent on right to counsel

In May 2018, Barrett dissented when the panel majority found that an accused murderer's right to counsel was violated when the state trial judge directly questioned the accused while forbidding his attorney from speaking. Following rehearing en banc, a majority of the circuit's judges agreed with her position.

June 2018: Decision on Teva Pharmaceuticals lawsuit

In June 2018, Barrett wrote for the unanimous panel when it found that a plaintiff could not sue Teva Pharmaceuticals for alleged defects in her IUD due to the lack of supportive expert testimony, writing, "the issue of causation in her case is not obvious."

July 2018: Finalist for Supreme Court nomination

In July 2018, after Justice Anthony Kennedy's retirement announcement, Barrett was reportedly one of three finalists Trump considered for the Supreme Court nomination.

August 2018: Decision on police search without probable cause

In August 2018, Barrett wrote for a unanimous panel that determined the police lacked probable cause to search a vehicle based solely on an anonymous tip about people "playing with guns," as no crime had been alleged.

2018: Possible nominee for future Supreme Court vacancy

After Kavanaugh's selection in 2018, Barrett was viewed as a possible nominee for a future U.S. Supreme Court vacancy.

2018: Voted Against Striking Down Indiana Law on Fetal Remains

In 2018, Amy Coney Barrett voted against striking down an Indiana law requiring burial or cremation of fetal remains.

2018: Decision on wetland jurisdiction

In 2018, Barrett joined a unanimous panel decision in Orchard Hill Building Co. v. U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, which challenged the Corps' determination that a wetland 11 miles from the nearest navigable river was among the "waters of the United States." The court found the Corps had not provided substantial evidence of a significant nexus to navigable-in-fact waters.

2018: Qualified immunity for prison officer

In 2018, in Howard v. Koeller, a three-judge panel that included Barrett found that qualified immunity did not protect a prison officer who had labeled a prisoner a "snitch" and thereby exposed him to risk from his fellow inmates.

January 2019: Denial of qualified immunity to homicide detective

In January 2019, Barrett wrote for a unanimous panel when it denied qualified immunity to a civil lawsuit sought by a defendant who as a homicide detective had knowingly provided false and misleading information in the probable cause affidavit that was used to obtain an arrest warrant for the plaintiff. The court found the detective's lies and omissions violated "clearly established law" and the plaintiff's Fourth Amendment rights.

February 2019: Upholding Chicago "bubble ordinance"

In February 2019, Barrett joined a unanimous panel decision upholding a Chicago "bubble ordinance" that prohibits approaching within a certain distance of an abortion clinic or its patrons without consent. The court rejected the plaintiffs' challenge to the ordinance on First Amendment grounds, citing the Supreme Court's buffer zone decision in Hill v. Colorado.

February 2019: Decision on unreasonable search

In February 2019, Barrett wrote for a unanimous panel that found police officers were unreasonable to assume "that a woman who answers the door in a bathrobe has authority to consent to a search of a male suspect's residence." Therefore, the district court should have granted the defendant's motion to suppress evidence found in the residence as the fruit of an unconstitutional search.

March 2019: Dissent on felon firearm possession law

In March 2019, Barrett dissented when the court upheld the federal law prohibiting felons from possessing firearms. Barrett argued that denying guns to nonviolent felons does not promote the government's interest in preventing gun violence and violates the Second Amendment.

May 2019: Authored Majority Opinion on Visa Denial Case

In May 2019, Amy Coney Barrett authored a 2–1 majority opinion rejecting a challenge to a consular officer's decision to deny a visa application to a Yemeni citizen. The U.S. citizen husband argued that this had deprived him of a constitutional right to live in the United States with his spouse. Barrett declined to address whether the husband had been denied a constitutional right because the consular officer's decision was facially legitimate and bona fide.

June 2019: Reinstated suit in Purdue University case

In June 2019, Amy Coney Barrett wrote a unanimous decision for the court, reinstating a suit brought by a male Purdue University student (John Doe) who had been found guilty of sexual assault by Purdue University. The court found that Doe had adequately alleged that the university deprived him of his occupational liberty without due process and had violated his Title IX rights.

June 2019: Decision on Fair Debt Collection Practices Act

In June 2019, Barrett wrote for the unanimous panel when it found that the Fair Debt Collection Practices Act cannot create a cause of action for a debtor who received collection letters lacking notices required by the statute because she suffered no injury-in-fact to create constitutional standing to sue under Article III.

2019: Voted to Rehear Challenge to Indiana's Parental Notification Law

In 2019, Amy Coney Barrett voted to rehear a successful challenge to Indiana's parental notification law.

2019: Authored Smith v. Illinois Department of Transportation Opinion

In 2019, Amy Coney Barrett wrote the unanimous three-judge panel opinion affirming summary judgment in the case of Smith v. Illinois Department of Transportation. The case involved a Black employee who claimed racial discrimination upon his dismissal. Barrett wrote that the racial slur used was egregious, but the employee's testimony showed no evidence that his subjective experience of the workplace changed because of the slur, nor did it change the department's fact that his discharge was related to "poor performance".

June 2020: Dissent on Public Charge Rule

In June 2020, Amy Coney Barrett wrote a 40-page dissent when the majority upheld a preliminary injunction against the Trump administration's controversial "public charge rule", which heightened the standard for obtaining a green card. Barrett argued that any noncitizens who disenrolled from government benefits because of the rule did so due to confusion about the rule itself rather than from its application.

July 2020: Supreme Court Ordered Rehearing

In July 2020, the Supreme Court ordered a rehearing in the Indiana parental notification case, in which Amy Coney Barrett had previously voted to rehear a successful challenge in 2019.

August 2020: Decision on Teamsters local standing

In August 2020, Barrett wrote for the unanimous panel when it held that a Teamsters local did not have standing to appeal an order in the Shakman case because it was not formally a party to the case. The union had not intervened in the action, but rather merely submitted a memorandum in the district court opposing a motion.

September 2020: COVID-19 orders

In early September 2020, Barrett joined Wood's opinion upholding the district court's denial of the Illinois Republican Party's request for a preliminary injunction to block Governor J. B. Pritzker's COVID-19 orders.

September 26, 2020: Nominated to the Supreme Court

On September 26, 2020, Amy Coney Barrett was nominated by President Trump to the U.S. Supreme Court, following the death of Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg. This nomination was controversial.

October 27, 2020: Swearing-in ceremony

On October 27, 2020, Barrett became the 103rd associate justice of the Supreme Court of the United States. On the evening of the confirmation vote, Trump hosted a swearing-in ceremony at the White House, with Justice Clarence Thomas administering the first oath of office. She took the judicial oath, administered by Chief Justice John Roberts, the next day.

November 2020: Assignment to the Seventh Circuit

In November 2020, Barrett was assigned to the Seventh Circuit. This assignment's duties include responding to emergency applications to the Court that arise from the circuit's jurisdiction.

November 26, 2020: Roman Catholic Diocese of Brooklyn v. Cuomo

On November 26, 2020, Barrett joined the Supreme Court's majority in Roman Catholic Diocese of Brooklyn v. Cuomo, granting a preliminary injunction in favor of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Brooklyn and the Orthodox Jewish organization Agudath Israel of America, stating that COVID-19 restrictions instituted by New York Governor Andrew Cuomo had likely violated the Free Exercise Clause of the First Amendment.

2020: Appointed to the Supreme Court

In 2020, Amy Coney Barrett became an associate justice of the Supreme Court of the United States, making her the fifth woman to serve on the court after being nominated by President Donald Trump.

2020: Supreme Court nomination and confirmation

In 2020, Barrett received a "well qualified" rating from the American Bar Association, faced a White House COVID-19 outbreak during her nomination process, had her confirmation hearing scheduled and held, was reported favorably by the Judiciary Committee, had debate on her confirmation ended by a Senate vote, and was confirmed to the Supreme Court by the Senate on October 26.

2020: Nomination support and opposition

In 2020, Barrett's nomination was generally supported by Republicans and opposed by Democrats, leading to political controversy over filling the Supreme Court vacancy during an election year.

2020: Nomination Acceptance Speech

In 2020, during her nomination acceptance speech at the White House Rose Garden, Justice Barrett said that judges are not policymakers and "must apply the law as written."

February 5, 2021: First concurring opinion

Barrett delivered her first concurring opinion on February 5, 2021, in the case South Bay United Pentecostal Church v. Newsom.

March 4, 2021: First Majority Opinion

On March 4, 2021, Justice Barrett wrote her first majority opinion in United States Fish and Wildlife Service v. Sierra Club, breaking with the tradition of new justices delivering unanimous first opinions.

June 2021: Fulton v. City of Philadelphia Ruling

In June 2021, Justice Barrett joined a unanimous Supreme Court decision in Fulton v. City of Philadelphia, ruling in favor of a Catholic social service agency. Also that month, she was among six justices who rejected the appeal of a Washington State florist who refused to provide floral arrangements for a same-sex couple.

August 12, 2021: Rejection of challenge to Indiana University's vaccine mandate

On August 12, 2021, Barrett rejected a challenge to Indiana University's vaccine mandate, marking the first legal test of COVID-19 vaccine mandates before the Supreme Court of the United States.

September 2021: Texas abortion law

In September 2021, Barrett joined the majority, in a 5–4 vote, to reject a petition to temporarily block a Texas law banning abortion after six weeks of pregnancy.

November 2021: Mercy San Juan Medical Center Case

In November 2021, Justice Barrett voted with the majority in a 6–3 decision to reject an appeal from Mercy San Juan Medical Center, a hospital affiliated with the Roman Catholic Church, which had sought to deny a hysterectomy to a transgender patient on religious grounds.

January 2022: Supreme Court Vote on Execution

In January 2022, Justice Barrett dissented along with Breyer, Sotomayor, and Kagan in a 5–4 Supreme Court vote that allowed the execution of an inmate in Alabama to proceed.

June 2022: Overturning Roe v. Wade

In June 2022, Barrett joined with the majority in Dobbs v. Jackson, voting to completely overturn Roe v. Wade and Planned Parenthood v. Casey.

November 2023: Washington's Ban on Conversion Therapy

In November 2023, Justice Barrett voted with the 6–3 majority to decline to hear an appeal of a decision that upheld Washington's ban on conversion therapy for minors, allowing the law to stand.