U.S. Solicitor General Elena Kagan has been nominated to replace Supreme Court justice John Paul Stevens. Follow her career here. Bio: Current Position: U.S. Solicitor General(since March 2009) Birthday: April 28, 1960 Hometown: New York, N.Y. Career History: Dean of Harvard Law School (2003 to 2009); Professor of Law at Harvard 1999 to 2009); Joined Clinton administration first as an advisor and then as Deputy assistant for domestic policy (1995 to 1999); Professor of Law at University of Chicago (1991-1995 with a brief hiatus to serve as special council to Senator Joe Biden), Associate for Williams & Connolly (1988-1991), Clerk for Judge Abner Mikva (1989) Alma Mater: Princeton University, A.B. (history), 1981; Oxford University, M. Phil., 1983; Harvard Law School, J.D., 1986
Created by kelseysnell on May 9, 2010
Last updated: 05/09/10 at 01:49 PM
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In a 1995 paper Kagan argued that senate judicial hearings were "vapid and hollow charade."
http://abcnews.go.com/Politics/Supreme_Court/elena-kagan-supreme-court-confirmation-hearings-vapid-hollow/story?id=10578169
Solicitor General Elena Kagan appeared with Justice John Paul Stevens at the 7th circuit judicial conference. Kagan spoke on his life and legacy just one week before her nomination was announced.
http://www.c-spanarchives.org/program/ID/223558&start=698&end=2682
President Obama met Wednesday with Democratic and Republican Senate leaders amid signs the White House is moving quickly on finding a successor to Justice John Paul Stevens, who is retiring in June.
It was the second time Obama and Vice President Biden have met with the bipartisan group since Stevens announced his departure on April 9. Minority Leader Mitch McConnell and Sen. Jeff Sessions (R-Ala) were on the invite list, along with Majority Leader Harry Reid and Judiciary Chairman Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.). Obama wants to get his nominee confirmed by the Senate before the start of the high court's fall term.
READ MORE AT POLITICS DAILY
http://www.politicsdaily.com/2010/04/21/supreme-court-vacancy-obama-consults-gop-dems-leaders-again/
Solicitor General Elena Kagan, said to be under consideration for the looming Supreme Court vacancy, is already catching flak from her days as dean of the Harvard Law School -- even though President Obama is apparently in the early stages of picking a successor to retiring Justice John Paul Stevens.
It seems Dean Kagan e-mailed faculty and students back in 2003 that she was distressed that Harvard would have to permit military recruiters on campus in violation of the school's anti-discrimination policy. The Armed Forces, under the don't-ask-don't tell law enacted during the Clinton presidency, bars openly gay men and women from serving in uniform.
READ MORE AT POLITICSDAILY
http://www.politicsdaily.com/2010/04/17/supreme-court-short-lister-already-getting-grief/
An examination into Kagan's previously stated position on the relationship between the executive, judicial and legislative branches of the federal government.
The article asserts that she would likely support reducing presidential powers in favor of allowing legislative bodies to determine the law.
http://www.slate.com/id/2251138/?from=rss
Judging from the advice that Barack Obama is getting from the sidelines, the president should tap for the Supreme Court a middle-of-the-road, non-activist Protestant woman elected official with judicial experience and temperament who can energize the court's liberal wing without giving conservatives a reason to filibuster her nomination.
Gulp! Meeting all those conflicting standards is about as realistic as Obama calling over to Central Casting to demand, "Get me the female version of John Marshall."
READ MORE AT POLITICS DAILY
http://www.politicsdaily.com/2010/04/14/the-next-supreme-court-justice-time-for-a-politician/
http://www.pbs.org/newshour/bb/law/jan-june10/stevens_04-09.html
Conservative groups cited Kagan's ban of military recruiters on Harvard's campus and speculation of her sexual orientation when arguing against her possible nomination.
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB20001424052702304846504575178390602940072.html?mg=com-wsj
Justice John Paul Stevens, the gentlemanly senior member of the Supreme Court and a stalwart of its liberal wing, said Friday he will retire this summer, opening the way for President Obama to nominate his successor and get the appointee confirmed before the beginning of the fall term.
Stevens, who turns 90 later this month, was named to the court in 1975 by Republican President Gerald Ford. In a letter to Obama, Stevens said he concluded it was in "the best interests of the court" for him to step down at the close of the current session in June or early July, so the president can move swiftly to replace him.
READ MORE AT POLITICS DAILY
http://www.politicsdaily.com/search/?q=kagan&sort=date
Senator Lindsay Graham questioned Elena Kagan during her confirmation hearings for Solicitor General. In this clip they discuss legal versus illegal detention.
Kagan spoke at the Supreme Court Fellows Program Alumni Association on a panel moderated by former justice Sandra Day O'Connor.
Click to watch the discussion on C-SPAN
http://www.c-spanarchives.org/program/ID/218794&start=0&end=4206
Solicitor General Elena Kagan defends a law that prohibits people from profiting from images of animal cruelty. The merits of the law were argued before the Supreme Court of the United States in October 2009.
http://www.usatoday.com/printedition/news/20091005/1avideos05_cv.art.htm
Solicitor General Elena Kagan argued on behalf of the federal government in the Citizens United v. Federal Election Commission.
This case marked Kagan's first argument before the Supreme Court.
Kagan, who represented the interests of the U.S. government, argued in favor of limits placed on campaign finance.
The case was raised by producers of Hillary: The Movie, a political documentary produced during the 2008 presidential primary. The film's producers were prohibited from airing the film before the primary because it violated a federal ban on corporate money being used for manipulating an election.
This argument is a follow up to the original argument in March of 2009. Justices asked for additional briefs and argument in order to make their decision.
Click on the image to watch Kagan's portion of the arugment on C-SPAN
http://www.c-spanarchives.org/program/ID/212110&start=2335&end=5595
Elena Kagan talked about what a solicitor general does, how she prepares to argue cases before the Supreme Court, and her thoughts on cameras in the Supreme Court.
Click to watch on C-SPAN
http://www.c-spanarchives.org/program/ID/210063&start=0&end=2684
When a case challenging don't ask don't tell was brought to the Supreme Court Solicitor General Elena Kagan argued that the supreme court should uphold the military's ban on openly gay troops.
"Applying the strong deference traditionally afforded to the Legislative and Executive Branches in the area of military affairs, the court of appeals properly upheld the statute," she said in her brief.
http://www.time.com/time/nation/article/0,8599,1903545,00.html
Kagan returned to Harvard Law School Class Day to address the graduating class.
Click to watch on C-SPAN
http://www.c-spanarchives.org/program/ID/206997&start=0&end=1163
The Judicial Confirmation Network, a conservative group that encourages the confirmation of judges who interpret the Constitution -- as opposed to "activist" judges -- has launched a new website, Obama'sFrontrunners.com.
The website focuses on Obama's three likely Supreme Court picks:
READ MORE AT POLITICS DAILY
http://www.politicsdaily.com/2009/05/18/conservative-group-launches-website-focused-on-kagan-wood-and/
With recent news reports suggesting that President Obama is moving quickly to fill the vacancy created by Supreme Court Justice David Souter's retirement, a leading conservative legal group has released a memo suggesting that the process be slowed down.
"We need a fair, orderly process to educate Americans about the potential nominees that the Obama-Leahy machine seems determined to rush through the confirmation process," reads the memo from Wendy Long and Gary Marx of the conservative Judicial Confirmation Network.
The memo was sent to conservatives across the nation. I have obtained a copy for you to see, below:
READ MORE AT POLITICS DAILY
http://www.politicsdaily.com/2009/05/05/conservatives-release-memo-on-supmreme-court-vacancy/
Kagan's record as a strong advocate for environmental issues at Harvard Law School and in her administrative law practice led to great support from environmental organizations. She was hailed as a strong step forward for the Obama administration's green agenda.
http://www.nytimes.com/gwire/2009/03/26/26greenwire-environmental-policy-a-specialty-of-obamas-sol-10309.html
Kagan appeared before the senate judiciary committee in support of her nomination for Solicitor General of the United States.
http://www.c-spanvideo.org/program/283954-1
Well look at President-elect Smarty Pants, Barack Obama. First he goes an appoints a Harvard Nerd, Larry Summers, as his chief White House economic advisor. Now he's got another dweeb in the pipeline, in the form of Elena Kagen, who he wants to nominate as solictor general.
No wait, excuse us... whom he wants to nominate as solicitor general. Happy, nerds?
Harvard Law School Dean Elena Kagan is a leading candidate to be President-elect Barack Obama's representative at the US Supreme Court, Bloomberg is reporting this afternoon.
READ MORE AT POLITICS DAILY
http://www.politicsdaily.com/2009/01/04/nerd-alert-obama-goes-harvard-for-solicitor-general/
Kagan, as dean of Harvard Law School, accepted the John R. Kramer Outstanding Law School Dean Award at the 2008 Equal Justice Works Awards Dinner.
As Dean of Harvard Law School, Elena Kagan introduced a discussion of U.S. v. Microsoft, a landmark anti-trust case.
Several years after publishing an article in the Harvard Law Review on the growing role of the executive branch in legislative policy, Kagan moderated a panel on the topic.
The panel focused on how a McCain or Obama administration should differ from the Bush administration.
Click on the link to watch the panel on C-SPAN
http://www.c-spanvideo.org/program/205967-1
Dean Kagan allowed military recruiters to return to campus while awaiting a federal court decision about denying funding to schools that disrupt recruitment.
Kagan banned recruiters just one year before citing the military's don't ask don't tell policy as discriminatory.
http://www.usatoday.com/news/education/2005-09-21-harvard-military_x.htm?csp=34
A Harvard Law School Professor was discovered to have written a memo for the Bush administration on the handling of prisoners that some called a "torture memo."
Charges of lax vetting of the professor, Jack L. Goldsmith III, forced Kagan to investigate the situation.
http://www.boston.com/news/local/massachusetts/articles/2004/12/09/harvard_hires_detainee_memo_stirs_debate/
"Just one day after a federal appeals court blocked the Pentagon from cutting federal funds to universities that limit military recruitment on campus, Harvard Law School moved to reinstitute its policy of barring the armed services’ access to students."
-Harvard Crimson
http://www.thecrimson.com/article/2004/12/1/hls-bans-military-just-one-day/
The Harvard paper, the Crimson, announced Kagan's selection to be the first female dean of Harvard Law School.
http://www.thecrimson.com/article/2003/4/4/law-school-names-dean-a-woman/
Kagan discussed the role of the Supreme Court in a democracy with Aharon Barak,president of Israel's Supreme Court and fellow Harvard Law professor Charles Fried. Click on the link to view the discussion.
In this paper Kagan discusses the growing role of executive branch power in the U.S. presidency. She examines modern presidents up to George W. Bush.
This paper was written before September, 11, 2001 - before President Bush's use of executive power became a national discussion.
Harvard Law Review, Vol. 114, No. 8. (Jun., 2001), pp. 2245-2385.
http://stevereads.com/papers_to_read/presidential_administration.pdf
Then Deputy Assistant to the President on Domestic Policy Kagan discusses tobacco legislation at a White House Press briefing.
Click on the link to watch the video on C-SPAN
http://www.c-spanarchives.org/program/ID/76466&start=221&end=720
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