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More than 1,500 alumni from Rhodes College in Memphis, Tenn., have signed a letter of concern over the nomination of Rhodes alumna Amy Coney Barrett to the Supreme Court. The letter objected to the perceived embrace of Barrett by the current Rhodes administration and to Barrett's rulings.
On Sept. 22, Rhodes president Marjorie Hass released a statement reflecting on Barrett’s likely nomination and the college’s connection to the Supreme Court.
“It is remarkable that a Rhodes graduate should appear at the top of a list of potential Supreme Court nominees, but it is in keeping with a long history of Rhodes connections to the highest court in the land,” Hass said. “Judge Coney Barrett participates in this tradition of academic excellence.”
The letter was authored by alumni Rob Marus and Katherine Morgan Breslin.
“We are likewise firmly and passionately opposed to Rhodes administrators’ attempts to embrace Amy Coney Barrett as an alumna of our beloved alma mater,” the letter said. “We oppose this embrace because we believe both her record and the process that has produced her nomination are diametrically opposed to the values of truth, loyalty, and service that we learned at Rhodes.”
Hass responded to the letter by standing by her original words and reaffirming a commitment against bigotry.
“I stand by the words in my letter to our community and my public remarks acknowledging the facts of Judge Barrett’s exceptional record of academic achievement while a student at Rhodes,” she said. “The college will continue to speak of her with respect and friendship -- the same respect and friendship you affirm in your letter.”
