US President Barack Obama nominated Solicitor General Elena Kagan for the US Supreme Court yesterday, choosing a moderate who may not spur a damaging political fight in a congressional election year.
Obama made the announcement in the White House East Room with Kagan, a 50-year-old former Harvard Law School dean, at his side.
Obama called Kagan a fair-minded choice who is skilled as a “consensus-builder” and called for swift, bipartisan approval.
“Elena is widely regarded as one of the nation’s foremost legal minds,” Obama said. “She is an accomplished legal scholar with a rich understanding of constitutional law.”
Experts said Kagan could be expected to pass fairly smoothly through the Senate confirmation process, which can be fraught with political peril. Kagan has been through one Senate confirmation already — she was confirmed last year for her current position.
Kagan would become the third woman on the nine-member court if confirmed, joining Sonia Sotomayor and Ruth Bader Ginsburg.
“I look forward to working with the Senate in the next stage of this process, and I thank you again, Mr. President, for this honor of a lifetime,” Kagan said.
The country’s highest court currently is controlled by a 5-4 conservative majority and Obama’s choice to replace 90-year-old liberal John Paul Stevens, who is retiring, is unlikely to change that dynamic.
Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Patrick Leahy said he aims to have Kagan confirmed by early August, which would be in time for her to join the court in its autumn session.
Senate Republican leader Mitch McConnell made clear that Kagan will not receive rubber-stamp approval, pledging to review her “brief litigation experience.”
“Fulfilling our duty to advise and consent on a nomination to this office requires a thorough process, not a rush to judgment,” McConnell said.
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