CWA bus tour in support of Barrett for Supreme Court makes stop at Liberty University

Three days before transporting 200 Liberty University students to Washington, D.C., for the confirmation hearings of SCOTUS nominee Judge Amy Coney Barrett, Concerned Women for America (CWA) showcased its large, pink bus on campus on Friday to stir support and excitement for Barrett and the impending trip.

The pitstop on Friday was the organization’s fourth stop in its “Women for Amy” tour, a 12-day expedition focusing on educating citizens of the qualifications of the nominee to sit on the Supreme Court and advocating that the seat be filled before the general election, according to CWA’s press release.

“This is a great moment, and I’m so happy to be here at Liberty University, which is really the epicenter for evangelical Christian women,” said CWA CEO and Liberty alumna Penny Nance (’89) as she spoke to a large group of students outside the bus. “We want to be there to support Judge Barrett and let her know that she’s not alone. We want her to know that she has a whole group of women supporting her and praying for her and care about seeing her confirmed.”

Nance is also a member of Liberty’s Board of Trustees. This is the second time her organization has partnered with Liberty to advocate for a Supreme Court nominee. Two years ago, during the historic confirmation hearings of Brett Kavanaugh, CWA helped students attend a rally in D.C. to show support.

“I’m so thankful for this organization and what it’s done for us,” said Liberty junior Ashley Allen, who serves as president of Liberty’s Young Women for America (YWA) chapter, an initiative of CWA on college campuses. “It’s so important to reflect on what the main goal is here: the foundational principles are based on Jesus Christ and the Bible. If we remember that, we won’t get burned out. … We are truly making history.”

Judge Barrett, 48, who is a mother of seven (two adopted from Haiti), clerked for Justice Antonin Scalia during his tenure on the Supreme Court. In 2017, she was nominated and confirmed to serve on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit.

The confirmation hearings begin Monday, Oct. 12, the day Liberty students will load on buses to attend a CWA event in D.C. If confirmed, Barrett will be the youngest woman to ever serve on the highest Court in the land, and the only justice to have school-aged children while on the bench.

“I think one of the most unrepresentative voices in government has been conservative, constitutionalist, freedom-loving, God-loving conservative women,” said Nance. “It is high time we have a conservative woman confirmed to the Supreme Court.”

Annabelle Rutledge, national director of Young Women for America, said Barrett will be an example to future generations of female leaders when she is confirmed.

“The reason (Amy Coney Barrett) is being attacked is because she’s doing everything that the second-wave feminists have tried to tell our country that women can’t do,” she said, referencing Barrett’s successful career and family life. “We don’t have to choose between being a mother and our careers, because Amy Coney Barrett is telling us that we can indeed have both.”

Seats are still available for the Monday trip, which is open to all students. Registration is first-come, first-serve. Departure will be 3:30 a.m. and the bus is expected to return by 5 p.m. The trip is no cost for students. CWA will provide each attendee with a “Women for Amy” T-shirt and stipends to purchase breakfast and lunch.