Obama chooses Elena Kagan for Supreme Court

Obama recently picked Elena Kagan for Supreme Court to replace John Paul Stevens (who is retiring). This is a key step in making his influence on the judiciary system set in stone.

If Kagan would to become a member of the supreme court justices, this would be the first time in history a Protestant was not a judge on the supreme court. She got her law degree from Harvard University and served as dean of the Harvard Law school. Kagan also was apart of the Clinton administration as associate White House counsel. Kagan served as solicitor general since April 2009 and is the administration's top lawyer before the Supreme Court and has argued several high-profile cases. The solicitor general is the person who represents the supreme court and determines the legal position of the U.S. supreme court. They also file amicus curiae briefs in the Federal government. She has liberal beliefs and has worked to prevent military recruitment from coming to Harvard because of their "don't ask don't tell" policy of gays in the military.

The fact that she has never been a judge before can be very risky. Although, based on her resume it sound like she has spent a lot of time dealing with legal questions and working with the supreme court. Also, she has a "relatively short paper trail compared to other Supreme Court nominees." She will appears to be a very intellectual woman and can have a lot to offer.


I just realized Ellery made a post about the same topic, sorry!