Amy Coney Barrett: George Floyd's Death Had 'Personal' Impact

WASHINGTON, D.C. — Judge Amy Coney Barrett said the killing of George Floyd was "very, very personal" for her family when she was asked about it during Tuesday's Supreme Court confirmation hearing at the United States Capitol.

Sen. Dick Durbin, a Democrat from Illinois, asked Barrett if she watched the viral video of Floyd's Memorial Day arrest in Minneapolis, and how it affected her.

"Senator, as you might imagine given that I have two black children, that was very, very personal for my family," Barrett responded. Barrett has seven children, including two — John Peter and Vivian — who were adopted from Haiti.

The video was particularly hard on 17-year-old Vivian, the judge noted. "All of this was erupting. It was very difficult for her. We wept together in my room."

Barrett said Floyd’s death was also difficult for her 10-year-old biological daughter, Juliette.

"I had to try to explain some of this to them," she said. "I mean, my children to this point in their lives have had the benefit of growing up in a cocoon where they have not yet experienced hatred or violence."

"And for Vivian, you know, to understand that there would be a risk to her brother or the son she might have one day, of that kind of brutality has been an ongoing conversation."

Floyd's death sparked ongoing protests across the globe, demanding police reform and an end to racial injustice.

Former police officer Derek Chauvin, who used his knee to pin Floyd down on a Minneapolis street even after he went motionless, recently made bail after being charged with manslaughter and murder.