Supreme Court Justice Amy Coney Barrett said the assassination of conservative commentator Charlie Kirk is a tragic reminder of why Americans must find ways to settle disagreements through civil discourse rather than violence.
Barrett made the remarks on Sept. 12 during an appearance at the University of Notre Dame in Indiana, where she was promoting her new book, “Listening to the Law: Reflections on the Court and Constitution.”
Asked about the killing at the start of the event, she urged students to model a better way of engaging across political divides.
Asked by the moderator to comment on Kirk’s killing, which took place on Sept. 10 in Utah, Barrett said it’s important to have disagreements in “a civil and collegial way.”
“Too often when I look around the country—I mean political violence is the most grotesque symptom of it, but there are others, too, just in online conversations and the way that people treat those with whom they disagree,” Barrett said.
“And that’s actually one of the points that I tried to make in the book. It’s just not a way to run a society.”
“You can have a spirited debate without tearing somebody down,” she added during the Q&A portion of the event.
Barrett briefly acknowledged her own security concerns, saying she felt safe under round-the-clock protection.
“I’m in very good hands,” she said.
Security for Supreme Court justices has drawn heightened attention since 2022, when a man was arrested near Justice Brett Kavanaugh’s home and charged with attempting to assassinate him.
A Nation on Edge
Just hours before Barrett’s appearance, Charlie Kirk’s widow, Erika, delivered an emotional message during a livestream on Turning Point USA’s YouTube channel. It was her first public appearance since her husband’s assassination two days earlier.
“The evil-doers for my husband’s assassination have no idea what they have done,” she said.
“The cries of this widow will echo around the world like a battle cry.”
Vowing to continue her husband’s work, she said the movement he launched as a high school project and turned into a national campus force would not be silenced.
Kirk, a prominent conservative activist and founder of Turning Point USA, was fatally shot while speaking at Utah Valley University.
Known for his “prove me wrong” campus debates and emphasis on engaging young voters, the 31-year-old was just minutes into his latest campus tour stop when a gunshot ended his life.
Authorities later announced the arrest of 22-year-old Tyler Robinson, who was detained on suspicion of aggravated murder and related charges.
Utah Gov. Spencer Cox said investigators recovered a Mauser 98 .30-06 bolt-action rifle with a scope, allegedly used in the attack. Bullet casings at the scene carried engraved messages, some with anti-fascist slogans and others referencing taunting internet memes, according to authorities.
One casing allegedly read “Hey fascist! Catch!” followed by directional arrow symbols resembling a video game code. Another bullet allegedly carried lyrics from the World War II-era Italian anti-fascist song “Bella Ciao.”
Cox said the suspect had become “more political in recent years” and had discussed Kirk with family, saying he disliked him for “spreading hate.”
Kirk’s killing has intensified concerns that the country may be entering a new era of political violence.
Susan MacManus, a veteran Florida political analyst, told The NY Budgets that the tragedy could be a catalyst for change—but only if lawmakers use it to recommit to civility.
“But is it going to be a catalyst for the two parties coming together and saying, ‘Enough of this’?” she asked.
“Or is it just going to be a catalyst for even further deepening the polarization in this country?”
