Justice Amy Coney Barrett was urged to recuse herself from an upcoming Supreme Court case on free speech and LGBT issues by former members of a niche Christian group she is affiliated with, arguing the faith organization has discriminatory policies against same-sex marriage.
Former members of the People of Praise organization recently told the Guardian that the justice's "lifelong and continued" membership in the Christian group means she cannot rule impartially in the case surrounding a Colorado web designer who says her religious beliefs prevent her from creating custom wedding websites that celebrate same-sex marriages. Despite the request from former People of Praise members who call themselves "survivors" of the organization, legal experts say there's "no basis" for Barrett to recuse herself.
"I think there is not a strong legal argument for her recusal if the basis for the suggestion is the views of the group that they attribute to her," Jonathan Entin, a constitutional law professor at Case Western University, told the Washington Examiner.
"Supreme Court justices have views and are connected with a lot of organizations, a lot of groups just in general, and that's not enough," Entin said, adding it would be "a different situation if that group were a party to the case."
via joemiller