Solicitor General Elena Kagan, who was nominated by President Barack Obama back in May to serve on the US Supreme Court after Justice John Paul Stevens announced that he will be retiring from the Supreme Court this year, has just been officially confirmed to the court by a US Senate vote of 63 to 37. [...]
Solicitor General Elena Kagan, who was nominated by President Barack Obama back in May to serve on the US Supreme Court after Justice John Paul Stevens announced that he will be retiring from the Supreme Court this year, has just been officially confirmed to the court by a US Senate vote of 63 to 37. Her confirmation makes Kagan the 4th woman to serve on the US Supreme Court and she will become the third woman to serve on the court at the same time with Justice Ruth Bader Ginsberg and Justice Sonya Sotomayor who, you may recall, was confirmed to the Supreme Court a year ago this week:
The Senate confirmed Elena Kagan to a seat on the Supreme Court on Thursday, giving President Obama his second appointment to the high court in a year, and a political victory as the Senate neared the end of its business for the summer. Ms. Kagan, a former dean of the Harvard Law School and a legal adviser in both the Clinton and Obama administrations, was approved by a vote of 63 to 37 after hearings and floor debate that showcased competing views of Democrats and Republicans about the court, but exposed no significant stumbling blocks to her confirmation. She becomes the fourth woman ever named to the court, and will join two other woman currently serving, including Justice Sonia Sotomayor, the first Obama administration nominee, who was confirmed almost exactly one year ago. “Her qualifications, intelligence, temperament and judgment will make her a worthy successor to Justice John Paul Stevens,” Senator Patrick J. Leahy, Democrat of Vermont and chairman of the Judiciary Committee, said of Ms. Kagan. Five Republicans joined 56 Democrats and two independents in supporting the nomination; 36 Republicans and one Democrat, Senator Ben Nelson of Nebraska, opposed her. In a sign of the import of the moment, senators were asked to record their votes from their desks. At age 50, Ms. Kagan could have a long tenure on the court, but her confirmation is not seen as significantly altering the current, closely divided ideological makeup of the court, which is often split 5-4 on major decisions.
Yay! Another day, another advancement forward for the United States of America. For the first time ever, 3 women will serve on the US Supreme Court at the same time. Despite the criticism hurled at her by her detractors, the soon to be sworn in Justice Kagan managed to pass her confirmation hearings with flying colors. I have no doubt at all that Elena Kagan will serve her country honestly and honorably as the newest Justice on the US Supreme Court. As we learned yesterday, the issue of same-sex marriage will eventually make its way to the Supreme Court and, goodness willing, Kagan will be one of the justices to rule on the matter. Despite the fact that her confirmation will not change the ideological make-up of the court, it’s always good to have a friend on the court. Congratulations, Elena Kagan … here’s to a long and honorable tenure on the US Supreme Court.
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