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Supreme Court nominee Amy Coney Barrett served as ‘handmaid’ in religious group

Judge Amy Coney Barrett, President Donald Trump's nominee for the U.S. Supreme Court, meets with Sen. Josh Hawley, R-Mo., on Capitol Hill in Washington on Oct. 1, 2020. (Demetrius Freeman/The Washington Post via AP, Pool)

An old directory for the Christian organization People of Praise members shows Supreme Court nominee Amy Coney Barrett served as a “handmaid.”

That’s the term used at the time for high-ranking female leaders in the religious community.


Barrett has refused to discuss her membership in the People of Praise.

The organization opposes abortion and holds that men are divinely ordained as the “head” of both the family and faith, and that it’s the duty of wives to obey them.

Former members have alleged the group subjugates women.

Barrett’s leadership role in People of Praise is likely to be raised as an issue next week when a Senate committee considers her nomination.