Justice Elena Kagan

[usregimechange]

Coming soon.

Oh, and yes, she is under 50yo.

[Aloha Spirit]

1. A buddy for Ginsburg!

Can't wait for this to be real.

[usregimechange]

2. It needs to be a woman, imo

[liberalpragmatist]

3. Jennifer Granholm has been reported to be a top pick, as well

That's the Michigan gov. for those keeping track. Jeffrey Toobin has reported that Obama has said he would like to name a politician to the bench - Clinton has been said to regret not doing so, as the court has been left without a former elected official for the past several decades, which is a historical anomaly.

Other rumored picks include Harold Hongju Koh (who was just confirmed as an undersecretary at the State Dept.), and Judge Sonia Sotomayor (a Hispanic and a woman).

[usregimechange]

4. She is about the same age, don't know much about her though

[liberalpragmatist]

5. She was supposedly editor of the most liberal law review at Harvard - nt

[Thrill]

6. Sotomayor's name always comes up. But I think she is a little too scary for liberals

Potential Souter mistake the other way

[liberalpragmatist]

8. How so?

Interested in hearing your perspective - I don't know much about her.

[Thrill]

11. Shes a centrist. Moderate. Can go either way.

And if you ever need a clue. Every time her name comes up, Republicans don't object much. Remember when Bush was thinking about her before Alito?

[usregimechange]

17. To tell you the truth, they do seem rather quite about her, they lost it over Kagan

[ShadowLiberal]

36. Agreed, there's better hispanic picks out there then Sotomayor

Sotomayor is also a bit too old for my liking for a Supreme Court justice, I'd prefer someone under 50.

[usregimechange]

9. She is 54yo, judge on the 2nd circuit

[Clio the Leo]

10. THAT perked my ears up! I like her! NT

[davidpdx]

13. I'd love to see Toobin on there, but my selfish preference is

not to see him appointed. I like seeing his reporting and reading his books. He's an interesting guy to listen to.

[Born_A_Truman]

15. Sonia Sotomayor Bio

Sotomayor, Sonia
Born 1954 in Bronx, NY

Federal Judicial Service:
Judge, U. S. District Court, Southern District of New York
Nominated by George H.W. Bush on November 27, 1991, to a seat vacated by John M. Walker, Jr.; Confirmed by the Senate on August 11, 1992, and received commission on August 12, 1992. Service terminated on October 13, 1998, due to appointment to another judicial position.

Judge, U. S. Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit
Nominated by William J. Clinton on June 25, 1997, to a seat vacated by J. Daniel Mahoney; Confirmed by the Senate on October 2, 1998, and received commission on October 7, 1998.

Education:
Princeton University, B.A., 1976

Yale Law School, J.D., 1979

Professional Career:
Assistant district attorney, New York County District Attorney's Office, 1979-1984
Private practice, New York City, 1984-1992


Race or Ethnicity: Hispanic

Gender: Female

[jeanpalmer]

38. Granholm would be a good pick

I also like the fact that she is a politician. She has always seemed very reasonable. There's something to be said for a person who has been in the public spotlight for awhile where people have had a chance to observe her more thoroughly.

[blue_onyx]

41. Being in the spotlight...

could also make getting Granholm approved easier. There's not much more Republicans can throw at her that the MI GOP hasn't already tried. Granholm is probably the most publicly vetted of the potential nominees.

[usregimechange]

7. Christian Coalition: Elena Kagan is "dangerous to America"

http://www.cc.org/blog/elena_kagan_dangerous_america

Wow, I like her more and more.

[cbc5g]

37. Alright, that's all I need to know to support Kagan! =)

[usregimechange]

12. Just as a side note this will make 3 Dem nominees on the court

[usregimechange]

14. Spector voted against her but she was confirmed by 61-31

For Solicitor General.

[Supersedeas]

25. Alysson Duncan was unanimously confirmed.

[usregimechange]

16. Damn this is exciting!

:popcorn: :popcorn: :popcorn:

[usregimechange]

18. Interesting graphic:

[SamCooke]

19. Chuck Todd said he'll be under pressure to pick a latino

What female latino could he pick?

[usregimechange]

20. There is the judge mentioned above but DUer said she was a centrist

[Unsane]

21. Kim Wardlaw (9th Cir.) born 1954

First ever hispanic appointed to the U.S. Court of Appeals (Mother is Mexican).

She will be the pick. Book it.

[usregimechange]

22. I still think it will be Kagan but she would be an interesting pick, how does she vote?

[Unsane]

23. She (Wardlaw) is a Clinton appointee. It won't be Kagan for several reasons, btw.

Namely, she doesn't have any experience. Literally. Never argued a case, represented a client, been a judge etc. It will be a few years before Kagan gets serious consideration (she's starting a tenure as Solicitor General). I'm not a huge fan of Kagan's weight either. We want a pick who will live a long time; her parents died relatively young I believe. These are relevant considerations.

[Dinger]

32. What EXACTLY Does Her Weight Have To Do With Being On The Supreme Court?

Details please.

[MonteLukast]

34. It's about our ingrained attitudes based on what we endure in the workplace.

Seeing a person as less qualified because of their looks, their weight, or their affect is a byproduct of working in a service economy. Where looks and "nonthreatening" demeanor HAVE become a point of job performance. Women have always been more vulnerable to losing their jobs or promotions because of personality conflicts and "style" issues. The dark underbelly of customer service and sales served to codify it.

We take on these attitudes because our bosses and supervisors do-- because agreeing with them has become necessary to our livelihoods.
Repeat a behavior enough where you spend the majority of your time-- the workplace-- and it's bound to spill over into your general attitudes about other issues.

It's also a byproduct of our struggle with health care. Insurance companies are judging US every day based on our lifestyles. The average American DOES have to worry substantially more about health issues cutting down their own lives, because only people like Elena Kagan really do have decent health care anymore.

We subconsciously believe that it's only fair she suffer the same judgments on our health, the same calls to justify our lives that the rest of us do-- no matter that there's nothing fair or just about that kind of "fairness". Frankly, it reminds me of abused children growing up to in turn abuse their own children. That sounds overly dramatic; but just because it happened to you, doesn't the HELL mean you have to do it to anybody else.

[Dinger]

33. She's Hawt Too

That'll be a real asset for a Supreme Court judge.

[JustinL]

24. she has some troubling views

According to the New York Times:

During her confirmation hearing last week, Elena Kagan, the nominee for solicitor general, said that someone suspected of helping finance Al Qaeda should be subject to battlefield law — indefinite detention without a trial — even if he were captured in a place like the Philippines rather than in a physical battle zone.

[usregimechange]

26. I would like to see what she said...

[Baby Snooks]

30. Wow

A lesbian fascist. Or should that be fascist lesbian? Who'd have thought?

[jeanpalmer]

39. That's a definite red flag

We don't need that kind of thinking on the Supreme Court.

[usregimechange]

40. Some have suggested that she was carrying water for others but I agree this is the one black spot

[usregimechange]

27. She is in the top three according to ABC News

[Colobo]

28. SO-TO-MA-YOR!!!

[usregimechange]

29. he he, we will see soon but clearly I can't make up my mind, so many good choices

[Baby Snooks]

31. She would be perfect except for one thing...

African-Americans want an African-American on the court. And if you think they believe Clarence Thomas is an African-American, think again. When he condemned affirmative action, he ceased to be an African-American as far as most were concerned.

[usregimechange]

35. I agree, not much love there