Beyond what it means for Arlene’s Flowers, the decision is another ill omen for conservatives who had placed their hopes in former President Donald Trump’s judicial nominees to restore a more originalist understanding of the Constitution to American law.
The decision suggests the election being over renders the issue 'moot' and disregards the ramifications of electoral rule changes for future elections.
Chief among those grievances is McConnell’s record of backing establishmentarians over conservatives in GOP primaries — sometimes resulting in Democrats defeating both.
Barrett is widely recognized as a significant rightward shift for the Supreme Court, which conservatives hope will mitigate the damage to their causes should Trump lose to Biden.
‘There are no religious tests for office,’ Hawley said, ‘and the attempt to smuggle them in … must be resisted on the basis of the Constitution itself.’