Elena Kagan

President Obama has nominated Solicitor General Elena Kagan to replace retiring Justice John Paul Stevens on the U. S. Supreme Court.  Justice Stevens, who has served on the court for more than 30 years, announced his retirement at the end of the current court session. Stevens has been called “the leader of liberals” on the court. In a Los Angeles Times story, David Savage reported that Stevens “started out as a conservative, but as he saw it, the court shifted right as he held to the center.”

The president said in early April that he wanted a replacement with “an independent mind, a record of excellence and integrity, a fierce dedication to the rule of law, and a keen understanding of how the law affects the daily lives of the American people.”

“It will also be someone who, like Justice Stevens, knows that in a democracy, powerful interests must not be allowed to drown out the voices of ordinary citizens,” Obama added.

From the outset, speculation focused on Kagan, who is young, moderate, and has the negotiation skills deemed necessary to influence the Roberts court. But she is, apparently, not the liberal Stevens became, and some observers are concerned.

Read more…

Blank Slate: There’s a lot we don’t know about Elena Kagan — because she’s never told us.
The New Republic, May 10, 2010

9750 Words on Elena Kagan; More than you ever wanted to know
SCOTUS Blog, May 8, 2010

Potential Court Pick Faced Dilemma at Harvard
The New York Times, May 6, 2010

New Justice to Confront Evolution in Powers
The New York Times, May 7, 2010

Elena Kagan Emerging As Supreme Court Front-Runner
“Far more conservative than Stevens and could shift the political dynamic of the high court.”
Sam Stein and Ryan Grim in Huffington Post, April 9, 2010

ANALYSIS: Obama could move the Supreme Court to the right
Ruth Marcus in the Post Partisan blog at the Washington Post, April 9, 2010

How long does confirmation take?
The Washington Post, April 9, 2010