Supreme Court Justice Amy Coney Barrett argued last week that preserving the Constitution depends not only on the courts but also on American citizens, urging them to maintain a culture of respect for the rule of law. “Respect for the law, reverence for the Constitution, really begins with American citizens. It’s really more of a trickle up than a trickle down,” Barrett said during a lecture on March 12 to a packed audience in the Coolidge Auditorium. Barrett delivered her remarks as part of the 2026 Supreme Court Fellows Program Lecture, an annual event hosted by the Law Library that brings together legal scholars, judges, law students, early career attorneys and the broader Library community to discuss the judiciary’s role. Supreme Court justices generally decline interview requests, take no questions from an audience and avoid commenting on pending cases, legislation or current political controversies. However, in a wide-ranging conversation with Judge Robert M. Dow Jr., counselor to Chief Justice John Roberts and executive director of the fellows program, Barrett offered her thoughts on collegiality among judges, why the Constitution endures and civic responsibility, among other topics. Barrett said that maintaining collegial relationships among the nine justices is critical to the…
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Supreme Court Justice Amy Coney Barrett at the Library: “Respect the law”
Source: Library of Congress Blogs — US Government, Public Domain