The original content of Democracy Now! Headlines appears under the Creative
Commons BY-NC-ND 3.0 License (United States). For more, including their other
shows and media, visit www.democracynow.org.
May 11, 2010

Obama: Elana Kagan Is One of Nation’s “Foremost Legal Minds”
------------------------------------------------------------



President Obama has formally nominated Solicitor General Elena Kagan for
a lifetime appointment to the Supreme Court to replace retiring Justice
John Paul Stevens. If confirmed, Kagan will be the first justice in
nearly forty years who has no judicial experience.

President Obama: “Elena is widely regarded as one of the nation’s
foremost legal minds. She is an acclaimed legal scholar with a rich
understanding of constitutional law. She is a former White House aide
with a lifelong commitment to public service and a firm grasp of the
nexus and boundaries between our three branches of government. She is a
trailblazing leader, the first woman to serve as dean of Harvard Law
School and one of the most successful and beloved deans in its history,
and she is a superb solicitor general, our nation’s chief lawyer
representing the American people’s interests before the Supreme Court.”

During a brief ceremony at the White House on Monday, Elena Kagan
expressed her love for the law.

Elena Kagan: “I am proud of what all of us accomplished there. And
through most of my professional life, I’ve had the simple joy of
teaching, of trying to communicate to students why I so love the law,
not just because it’s challenging and endlessly interesting—although it
certainly is that—but because law matters, because it keeps us safe,
because it protects our most fundamental rights and freedoms, and
because it is the foundation of our democracy.”



.