Trump supporters rip Amy Coney Barrett after Supreme Court setbacks

Supreme Court Justice Amy Coney Barrett is once again facing fierce backlash from President Donald Trump’s political base after joining Chief Justice John Roberts and the court’s three liberal justices on Monday in a ruling that dealt a setback to Republican efforts to prevent states from counting mail-in ballots that arrive days or weeks after […]

Supreme Court Justice Amy Coney Barrett is once again facing fierce backlash from President Donald Trump’s political base after joining Chief Justice John Roberts and the court’s three liberal justices on Monday in a ruling that dealt a setback to Republican efforts to prevent states from counting mail-in ballots that arrive days or weeks after election night.

The 5-4 decision in Watson v. Republican National Committee upheld a Mississippi law allowing absentee ballots postmarked by election day to be counted if they arrive afterward, rejecting the Republican National Committee’s argument that federal law requires all ballots to be received by election day.

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Writing for the majority, Barrett said federal election statutes establish when voters must cast their ballots but “say nothing about ballot receipt.”

“The electorate’s choice is made when voting is complete, not when ballots are received,” Barrett wrote. “Election-day statutes say nothing about ballot receipt, and we cannot add to the words Congress chose.”

The ruling marked a significant defeat for Trump and the RNC, which had argued the decision would have nationwide implications for election administration ahead of the November midterm elections.

Conservatives reacted almost immediately.

“A shockingly wrong opinion,” Sen. Eric Schmitt (R-MO) wrote on X. “Justice Barrett joins with the liberal justices to hold that federal election law does not preempt states who allow late mail-in ballots to be counted. This is terrible for election integrity. Another reason we must pass the full SAVE American Act.”

Political commentator Josh Hammer wrote that Barrett “continues to disappoint in far too many high-profile cases,” while author Hans Mahncke called her “the biggest conservative judicial disaster since [former Justice David] Souter.”

Rep. Abe Hamadeh’s (R-AZ) congressional office said the ruling “guarantees we’ll keep drifting away” from election day as elections become “bogged down by endless mail-in ballots.”

Conservative commentator Megyn Kelly posted, “Barrett. AGAIN. WTF.”

Jason Snead, executive director of the Honest Elections Project, told the Washington Examiner that he found the ruling “deeply disappointing.”

“Federal law is clear: all ballots must be received by Election Day to be counted,” Snead said in a statement. “The Court missed a major opportunity to reinforce election integrity and instead sides with California-style chaos.”

Hans von Spakovsky, a senior legal fellow at Advancing American Freedom, similarly described the ruling as a “grave disappointment,” arguing Barrett’s opinion conflicted with the plain text of federal election law and historical practice.

Trump also blasted the ruling on Truth Social, calling it a “tremendous loss” in a Truth Social post while renewing his call for Congress to pass the SAVE Act, legislation that would require documentary proof of citizenship to register to vote in federal elections.

“There is no excuse for a politician, or otherwise, to be against” requiring voter identification, proof of citizenship, and sharply limiting mail-in voting, Trump wrote. “There is only one reason to oppose — CHEATING!”

The latest criticism marks another chapter in Barrett’s increasingly strained relationship with portions of the MAGA movement.

Although Barrett has become a frequent target of Trump’s supporters in politically charged cases, she remains one of the Supreme Court’s most consistently conservative justices, having played a central role in landmark decisions overturning Roe v. Wade, ending race-conscious college admissions, and expanding Second Amendment rights all in the same 2022 term.

Yet, when she has shown a willingness to part with the same president who appointed her in a handful of high-stakes cases, her conservative record becomes diluted by knee-jerk reactions online.

Last year, Barrett drew sharp criticism after joining Roberts and the court’s liberal justices in declining to block a lower court order requiring the Trump administration to release nearly $2 billion in foreign aid payments while litigation continued. That was the same term she authored the decision in Trump v. CASA, a major decision favoring the president that curbed excessive nationwide injunctions of the president’s key administrative policies.

Conversely, Barrett joined Roberts and fellow Trump appointee Neil Gorsuch in striking down Trump’s signature tariff policy, another decision that angered many of the president’s supporters.

Monday’s ruling also exposed divisions within the court’s conservative wing.

Justice Samuel Alito authored a forceful dissent joined by Justices Clarence Thomas, Neil Gorsuch, and Brett Kavanaugh, arguing the majority misread federal law and weakened election safeguards.

Supreme Court Justice Samuel Alito attends a meeting with Mons. Laurence John Spiteri, in Rome, Saturday, Sept. 20, 2025. (AP Photo/Andrew Medichini)

“Today’s decision leaves open opportunities for voter fraud that may further undermine Americans’ faith in the integrity of this country’s elections,” Alito wrote. “It is undeniable that a prohibition on counting late-arriving ballots would provide an additional hurdle for bad actors seeking to stuff ballot boxes when early election results suggest a tight race.”

SUPREME COURT UPHOLDS MISSISSIPPI LAW COUNTING LATE-ARRIVING MAIL BALLOTS

Despite the repeated political backlash, Barrett has consistently maintained that public criticism cannot influence her work on the bench.

“To do this job, you have to be willing to be unpopular,” Barrett said during a public appearance last fall. “There’s a little bit of an element of loneliness because you never know who is going to criticize you and who is not. But the job is to tune it out and do the right thing anyway.”

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