Justice Amy Coney Barrett entered the national spotlight in 2020 as President Donald Trump’s third appointee to the U.S. Supreme Court. At the time, he praised her as the best possible person to uphold conservative values. “There is no one better to do that than Amy Coney Barrett,” Trump said during her nomination speech. And on the surface, she’s delivered: Barrett voted to overturn Roe v. Wade, expanded Second Amendment rights, and consistently upheld conservative legal principles.
But as new reporting from MSNBC, CNN, and NBC News makes clear, Barrett isn’t following anyone’s script – not even the one Trump may have expected.
The Most Independent Conservative on the Court?
According to Jodi Kantor of The New York Times, who spoke on MSNBC’s Morning Joe, Barrett has emerged as the Republican-appointed justice most likely to side with the liberal wing in certain decisions, particularly those dealing with presidential power. “She is a classic conservative in many ways,” Kantor explained. “But she is also an independent one.” Data shows that Barrett has voted against Trump more than any other Republican-nominated justice currently on the court, a revelation that stunned both her critics and her original supporters.
She Overturned Roe, But That’s Not the Whole Story
Yes, Barrett voted to end Roe, but Kantor urges viewers to look deeper. “No one should expect her to change on abortion or guns,” she said. Those are positions she’s held for decades, alongside many in the Federalist Society. But Barrett draws a hard line when it comes to presidential overreach, especially involving Article II powers. In one recent case, she surprised many by siding in part with Justice Sotomayor, insisting that a president’s official acts can still be reviewed in criminal cases if they overlap with private conduct. That kind of legal reasoning would have been unthinkable for some of Trump’s staunchest legal allies.
Trump’s Frustration Boils Over
Behind closed doors, Trump is furious, according to Kristen Holmes of CNN. She reports that the former president has repeatedly complained about Barrett, as well as Justices Gorsuch and Kavanaugh, accusing them of not standing behind his agenda. Holmes notes that Trump has focused much of his criticism on Barrett, fueled by far-right influencers who claim she’s “weak” and wasn’t the originalist they thought she would be. One advisor even speculated her rulings may be affected by security threats against her and her family, including a March bomb threat directed at her sister.
Barrett’s Unique Place on the Court
Part of what sets Barrett apart, Kantor explained on MSNBC, is her background. She’s not from Washington. She never served in the executive branch or held a major political office. She was a law professor, a mother of school-aged children, and the youngest, least experienced judge when she joined the Court. “There’s this quality of apartness,” Kantor said. Barrett often signs on to majority opinions, but writes separate concurrences to challenge how her male colleagues get there. “She’s the Hermione Granger of the conservative supermajority,” one insider joked to Kantor.
Public Praise, Private Complaints
Publicly, Trump’s comments have been more reserved. In a March 2025 interview with NBC News, when asked directly if he regretted appointing Barrett, he replied, “She’s a very good woman, she’s very smart.” But that contrasts with his private tone, which CNN’s Holmes says has been far more critical. Trump’s allies have painted her as a disappointment, particularly in light of high-profile cases that didn’t go his way. Yet so far, Barrett has held firm to her judicial philosophy, even when it makes her a political target.
When Barrett Took on Thomas
Perhaps the most surprising development came when Barrett challenged Justice Clarence Thomas, one of the court’s most committed originalists. According to Kantor’s reporting, Barrett took issue with Thomas’s use of historical sources, saying you can’t just grab a precedent from 1650 and apply it to today’s laws without critical examination. “You’re using history wrong,” she reportedly told him in separate opinions. For someone widely considered to be an originalist herself, this was a bold move, showing she’s more concerned with integrity than ideological loyalty.
Originalism With Limits
Barrett still identifies as an originalist and textualist, but as Kantor points out, she openly discusses the flaws and limits of that method. In old Notre Dame lectures, she emphasized that sticking to the Constitution’s original meaning shouldn’t blind justices to modern consequences. “Part of the way we protect this kind of thinking is that we acknowledge its limitations,” Barrett once said. It’s a refreshing view for a court so often described as rigidly split along ideological lines.
The Threats Are Real – and Rising
Regardless of whether one agrees with her rulings, the threats Barrett faces are deeply troubling. Kantor revealed that she and her family have been subjected to pressure and danger from both sides of the political spectrum. Bomb threats, online harassment, and targeted intimidation have become a routine part of life for Barrett and her loved ones. “This is a hard time to be a Supreme Court justice,” Kantor admitted. The fact that threats are now being made against relatives shows just how toxic the environment has become.
MAGA’s Wrath Is Loud – and Possibly Misguided
The far right’s disappointment with Barrett underscores a broader misunderstanding of the Court’s role. As one unnamed senator told CNN, “President Trump profoundly misunderstands the role of the federal judiciary.” Justices aren’t supposed to carry out the president’s will; they’re supposed to interpret the law fairly, even when that means going against their political patrons. Barrett’s rulings show she understands that responsibility – and is willing to stand alone when necessary.
An Independent Mind in a Stormy Court
What makes Barrett so fascinating is not that she broke ranks – it’s that she did so for the right reasons. She isn’t turning into a liberal. She’s still deeply conservative. But she’s also a scholar, a thinker, and someone who wants to get the law right, not just make the base happy. That’s increasingly rare in today’s polarized world. And it’s exactly the kind of judicial integrity the country needs more of, not less.
She’s Nobody’s Puppet
Justice Amy Coney Barrett helped overturn Roe v. Wade, expanded gun rights, and continues to stand firm on many traditional conservative legal issues. But she’s also shown that she won’t be controlled by Trump, Thomas, or anyone else. As her record grows, it’s becoming clearer that she’s a fierce legal mind with a strong sense of independence. For better or worse, depending on your politics, she’s not a rubber stamp. She’s a justice.
Mark grew up in the heart of Texas, where tornadoes and extreme weather were a part of life. His early experiences sparked a fascination with emergency preparedness and homesteading. A father of three, Mark is dedicated to teaching families how to be self-sufficient, with a focus on food storage, DIY projects, and energy independence. His writing empowers everyday people to take small steps toward greater self-reliance without feeling overwhelmed.