Supreme Court Justice Amy Coney Barrett delivered a straightforward message to conservative female law students at the Federalist Society’s gala on Thursday evening: challenge the norms and embrace individuality.

“Being a conservative woman in a law school setting requires significant courage and independence. In many respects, this demonstrates a greater sense of feminism than simply conforming to a prescribed notion of womanhood,” Barrett expressed.

Sharing the stage with Justice Brett Kavanaugh, Barrett addressed attendees as part of the keynote speech at the annual dinner hosted by the prominent conservative legal organization. Both she and Kavanaugh were appointed to the Supreme Court by former President Donald Trump. Justice Samuel Alito was also present at the event, though he did not speak.

For many years, the Federalist Society has played a pivotal role in advancing a steady stream of conservative lawyers from academic institutions into influential judicial positions. The organization has been instrumental in establishing the current 6-3 conservative majority in the Supreme Court.

This year’s convention has been marked by a celebratory atmosphere, with attendees earlier receiving commemorative coins to honor recent significant conservative triumphs at the nation’s highest court.

Speaking to the packed crowd at the Washington Hilton, both Kavanaugh and Barrett were asked to reflect on the criticism and threats they’ve received since joining the bench. 

“To all the students here: Don’t lose civility, don’t lose civility,” Kavanaugh said. 

Barrett noted she doesn’t know the people protesting outside her house or criticizing her, which keeps them at an arms’ length as opposed to college campuses. 

When asked about the killing of conservative activist Charlie Kirk on a Utah university campus in September, Barrett said “one of the most moving things” after the shooting was Kirk’s wife, Erika, forgiving the suspect at her husband’s memorial. 

“Take the high road like Erika Kirk and show grace and strength in the face of hatred,” Barrett said. 

Though neither justice mentioned Trump, Thursday’s gala was the Federalist Society’s first since he returned to the White House. 

During his first term, Trump relied on Leonard Leo, the Federalist Society’s former executive vice president, to help choose his judicial nominees. 

Trump has now soured on Leo and the group after some of Trump’s own nominees blocked aspects of his second-term agenda. When a court blocked the president’s sweeping tariffs this spring, Trump called Leo a “sleazebag” and said the Federalist Society had given him “bad advice.”

Thursday’s gala came one day after the tariff case was heard by the Supreme Court.