Conservative commentator Megyn Kelly has sharply criticized Supreme Court Justice Amy Coney Barrett, a Donald Trump appointee, for siding with the majority in a 5-4 decision that upheld Mississippi's law regarding mail-in voting. Kelly expressed her dismay on her show Tuesday, questioning Barrett's conservative alignment.
"Justice Amy Coney Barrett, a Trump appointee, she's supposed to be one of ours. Why do ours — Why are they always so wiggly?" Kelly stated. "Honestly, like the libs, you can take it to the bank. [Elena] Kagan, [Sonia] Sotomayor, Ketanji Brown Jackson. I have to admire their commitment to their side. They never abandon their side."
Barrett authored the majority opinion, which determined that "the federal election-day statutes do not preempt Mississippi's law because the defining element of an 'election' has always been the electorate's choice of candidate." However, the ruling drew criticism from some conservatives.
Senator Eric Schmitt of Missouri described the opinion as "shockingly wrong," while Representative Abe Hamadeh of Arizona called it "disastrous." Influencer Joey Mannarino referred to Barrett as "a gigantic fucking disaster of a Supreme Court appointment," adding that she "totally forgot who appointed her to the Court."
This is not the first instance of Barrett's decisions drawing criticism from Trump supporters. Previously, some loyalists turned against her after she joined liberal justices in ruling against the Trump administration's use of the wartime Alien Enemies Act of 1798 to deport Venezuelan migrants.
Kelly also targeted Chief Justice John Roberts, suggesting he is "pursuing the wrong agenda as Chief Justice." She questioned his role, stating, "'He's an institutionalist meant to protect the Supreme Court.' That's not your job. That's not your job in the actual decision-making."
Kelly lamented what she perceived as a shift in the court's ideological balance, saying, "We were supposed to have 6-3 conservatives to libs. And today, we only had four conservatives. That's how we lost, because Roberts and Barrett jumped over to the liberal side, and Barrett even wrote the court's majority opinion."