Protestors prepare for Supreme Court Justice Amy Coney Barrett's visit to the U
Updated: 9:50 a.m.
Students, alumni and local grassroot organizations are planning on hundreds of people participating in their protest against Supreme Court Associate Justice Amy Coney Barrett’s presence on the University of Minnesota campus on Monday.
Barrett, a conservative justice nominated to the court by former President Donald Trump, was part of the 6-3 majority that overturned Roe v. Wade in 2022, and earlier this year struck down affirmative action.
The university’s law school invited Barrett to speak at the 2023 Stein Lecture, an annual event that, after initially hosting former Vice President Walter Mondale, has hosted a series of Supreme Court Justices in an effort to expose law students to a wide variety of opinions.
The lectures alternate between hosting more left leaning and more right leaning judges. Ruth Bader Ginsburg was the first Supreme Court Justice to attend the Stein Lecture in 2014.
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Some students and alumni said they were offended by the university’s decision to invite Barrett to campus. The university’s Young Democratic Socialists of America group gathered more than 600 signatures on a petition in hopes of persuading the university to cancel the event with Barrett.
“[The university] is legitimizing her role as somebody who represents the American people when she has stripped millions of Americans of their fundamental rights,” said Olivia Crull, a University of Minnesota alum and organizer with the Minnesota Abortion Action Committee.
William McGeveran, the interim dean of the University of Minnesota Law School, said that students and others are welcome to exercise their First Amendment rights outside of Northrop on Monday.
“It’s entirely understandable that there are protests,” he said. “These are emotional issues that affect lots of people. I support having the justice come speak, and I also support those who disagree with her having their voice heard as long as they are keeping everyone safe and they aren’t being disruptive.”
Gillian Rath, a student at the U and organizer with the Students for a Democratic Society, said that she sees these protests as an opportunity to make her voice heard.
“We don’t have a lot of tools to communicate with forces like the Supreme Court and I think protesting is one of the greatest tools that we do have,” she said.
Barrett’s speech begins at 4 p.m. Monday. All 2,680 seats in Northrop have been reserved.
Correction (Oct. 16, 2023): An earlier version of this story misspelled Olivia Crull’s name. The story has been updated.