Kagan Coverage Roundup: Day 2

Senators resumed questioning Supreme Court nominee Elena Kagan right on time Wednesday morning. Check back at ABAJournal.com throughout the day for news developments. Judiciary Committee Chairman Patrick Leahy indicated he’d like to complete Kagan’s testimony Wednesday. This would give senators the opportunity to attend memorial services for Sen. Robert Byrd,…

Jun 30, 2010 1:00 PM CDT

Coburn to Kagan: ‘How Are You Going to Take Off Your Liberal Hat?’

Corrected: Just be yourself. That’s what Sen. Tom Coburn, R-Okla., urged U.S. Supreme Court nominee Elena Kagan to do late Tuesday afternoon. “First, you are dancing a bit—maybe you should be on Dancing with the Stars,” Coburn said lightheartedly as he began his questioning. “I want Americans to know who…

Jun 29, 2010 11:03 PM CDT

GOP Takes Aim at Kagan’s Record, But She Has Breezy Conversation with Graham (Podcast)

Jun 29, 2010 10:26 PM CDT

Wait Until Law School to Write About Law, Kagan Tells Grassley

Elena Kagan said today that American constitutional law may be best taught in the second year of law school, and that in general students should not necessarily attempt scholarly writing about legal issues before entering law school. Sen. Charles Grassley, R-Iowa, asked Kagan this afternoon about why the Harvard Law…

Jun 29, 2010 8:07 PM CDT

‘You’ll get Justice Kagan, You Won’t Get Justice Marshall’

A relaxed, confident, and sometimes feisty Elena Kagan engaged with members of Senate Judiciary Committee on a variety of issues this morning, including on the question of whether she is a “legal progressive” and whether she would be in the mold of Thurgood Marshall if she is confirmed for the…

Jun 29, 2010 5:08 PM CDT

Kagan Faces Early Squabbling Over Harvard Law School’s Policy of Handling Military Recruiters

U.S. Supreme Court nominee Elena Kagan began her second day before the Senate Judiciary Committee by sparring sharply this morning with the ranking Republican over her handling of military recruiters while she was dean of Harvard Law School. That situation was one of the key issues over which Republicans are…

Jun 29, 2010 3:21 PM CDT

Kagan Hearing Coverage Roundup: Day 1

Senators began questioning Supreme Court nominee Elena Kagan at 9 a.m., ET. Check back at ABAJournal.com throughout the day for news developments and our end-of-day podcast. Kagan talks about her ties to former Justice Marshall. (ABAJournal.com) But others prefer Justice Roberts as a model. (Newsweek) Meanwhile, study finds oft-critiqued confirmation…

Jun 29, 2010 1:00 PM CDT

Busy Last Day at the Court Collides with Busy Hearing Day On the Hill (Podcast)

Jun 28, 2010 10:55 PM CDT

Kagan Praises Supreme Court’s ‘Modesty,’ Hails Ties to Justice Marshall

Elena Kagan said today that if confirmed to the U.S. Supreme Court, she would be mindful that it is a “modest” institution that must be deferential to the decisions of the American people. “The Supreme Court, of course, has the responsibility of ensuring that our government never oversteps its proper…

Jun 28, 2010 8:42 PM CDT

GOP Opens Its Offense Against Kagan’s Political Stances, Military Recruitment and Legal Heroes

Republicans on the Senate Judiciary Committee have finished their opening statements and their themes have become clear: Elena Kagan has been more political activist than legal thinker, she was hostile to military recruiting at Harvard, and she has had questionable legal heroes, such as Judge Aharon Barak of Israel. (The…

Jun 28, 2010 8:06 PM CDT

Busy Morning at the High Court; Big Decisions, Farewells and Scrutiny of the Court’s Latest Nominee

The confirmation hearings for Elena Kagan’s nomination to the U.S. Supreme Court have begun on a remarkable day in the nation’s capital. The hearing began barely more than an hour after the high court finished the work of its 2009-10 term, issuing important decisions on the Second Amendment right to…

Jun 28, 2010 5:35 PM CDT

Senators Begin Opening Statements at Kagan Confirmation Hearing

The nomination of Elena Kagan to the U.S. Supreme Court goes before the Senate Judiciary Committee today, the same day the high court is wrapping up its 2009-10 term and bidding adieu to retiring Justice John Paul Stevens. The Judiciary Committee even tailored its schedule to accommodate a rare instance…

Jun 28, 2010 4:08 PM CDT

ABA Rates Kagan ‘Well Qualified’

The American Bar Association’s Standing Committee on the Federal Judiciary has unanimously given U.S. Solicitor General and Supreme Court nominee Elena Kagan a rating of “well qualified.” There was one abstention. The rating follows an extensive and confidential peer review process that offers the U.S. Senate a unique opportunity to…

Jun 24, 2010 6:07 PM CDT

Kagan’s Professed ‘Judicial Hero’ Should Disqualify Her from Court, Bork Says

In 2006, Elena Kagan identified the chief of Israel’s Supreme Court as her “judicial hero” because of his support for human rights and rule of law. Failed Supreme Court nominee Robert Bork doesn’t share Kagan’s enthusiasm, according to The BLT: The Blog of Legal Times and the Washington Post. In…

Jun 24, 2010 11:47 AM CDT

Kagan E-Mails Reveal a ‘Sharp-Elbowed and Sometimes Salty-Tongued Lawyer’

In 11,000 e-mails released by the Clinton Presidential Library on Friday afternoon, Supreme Court nominee Elena Kagan emerges as politically savvy, sometimes sarcastic and given to an occasional swear word. The New York Times and the Washington Post both had stories on the e-mails, the third and last group of…

Jun 21, 2010 1:41 PM CDT