Supreme Court Justice Amy Coney Barrett told a judicial conference in Wisconsin that she doesn’t mind public criticism of the court.
Speaking before an audience of judges, lawyers and legal scholars at the Seventh Circuit Judicial Conference on Monday, Barrett said he has developed a “thick skin” after years in the public spotlight.
“Public scrutiny is welcome,” Barrett said. “Increasing and improving civic education is welcome.”
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![Barrett is in a robe](https://a57.foxnews.com/static.foxnews.com/foxnews.com/content/uploads/2022/04/1200/675/coney-barrett-heckler.jpg?ve=1&tl=1)
US Supreme Court Associate Justice Amy Coney Barrett spoke at the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library Foundation in Simi Valley, California. (AP)
Reflecting on the different types of investigations, Barrett told the audience that when Supreme Court investigations lead to public awareness and knowledge of the judicial branch and the Constitution, it benefits the nation.
“To the extent that it engages people in the work of the court and paying attention to the court and knowing what the courts do and what the Constitution says, that is a positive development,” he continued.
Barrett said he believes all judges – not just the Supreme Court – must accept that they are public figures by virtue of their position and accept that they are subject to constant observation and discussion.
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![Group picture of members of the Supreme Court](https://a57.foxnews.com/static.foxnews.com/foxnews.com/content/uploads/2022/07/1200/675/GettyImages-1232480724.jpg?ve=1&tl=1)
Members of the Supreme Court pose for a group photo at the Supreme Court in Washington, DC Seated from left: Associate Justice Samuel Alito, Associate Justice Clarence Thomas, Chief Justice John Roberts, Associate Justice Stephen Breyer and Associate Justice Sonia Sotomayor, Standing from from left : Associate Justice Brett Kavanaugh, Associate Justice Elena Kagan, Associate Justice Neil Gorsuch and Associate Justice Amy Coney Barrett. (Erin Schaff-Pool/Getty Images)
“Justices and all judges are public figures, and public criticism comes with work,” Barrett said. “But I’ve been here for a few years now, and I’ve developed a thick skin, and I think that’s what public figures should do; I think that’s what all judges should do.”
He also opened up about the experience of constantly being in the news cycle because of his job, saying, “You don’t wait once a day to read your print newspaper” and “you see things that visible on your phone all the time. .”
However, Barrett lamented the increasing familiarity of citizens with the appearance of magistrates and the difficulty of appearing in public without being recognized.
![Justice Kentaji Brown and Justice Amy Coney Barrett](https://a57.foxnews.com/static.foxnews.com/foxnews.com/content/uploads/2023/08/1200/675/GettyImages-1246879336-1-e1693307370340.jpg?ve=1&tl=1)
Amy Coney Barrett, associate justice of the US Supreme Court, left, and Ketanji Brown Jackson, associate justice of the US Supreme Court, following the State of the Union address at the US Capitol in Washington, DC (Photographer: Jacquelyn Martin/AP/Bloomberg via Getty Images)
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Blaming the internet for the widespread popularity of justices, Barrett said he thought it was better for everyone when the majority of people couldn’t pick a member of the Supreme Court from a crowd.
“People just didn’t recognize who the magistrates were,” Barrett said. “I think that’s better. I don’t think justices should be recognizable in that sense.”