MSW is omitting a salient fact. Professor Barrett had a paper she co-authored in 1998 with John Garvey, who is now president of Catholic University of America. Senator Feinstein suggested that the position Barrett took in her 1998 paper is tantamount to proposing that, for someone sitting on a court bench, religious faith should trump law when the two appear to be in conflict.

This attitude should certainly be questioned, since I would say that a judge's first allegiance should be to the law. His or her religious beliefs should certainly inform the judge's thinking, but the law should take precedence.

I would ask the conservatives who are likely to huff and puff about my belief a question. Suppose a Muslim became a judge. How would you feel if this judge applied Sharia to his or her rulings? What is the difference?