Having cleared only minor hurdles in her Judiciary Committee hearings, Elena Kagan’s nomination for the Supreme Court was put before the Senate today and then confirmed by a vote of 63-37. Five Republicans voted for her confirmation, including Senators Lindsey Graham, Dick Lugar, Olympia Snowe, Susan Collins, and Judd Gregg. One Democrat voted against, Senator Ben Nelson of Nebraska. It’s also notable that Senator Scott Brown, who introduced her during her hearings in his role as the senator of “her state,” Massachusetts, voted against. Until now Kagan was serving as President Obama’s solicitor general, a post she took up after a six-year term as dean of Harvard Law School. Kagan, who will only be the fourth woman to serve on the court in the entirety of its 221-year history, will replace retiring Justice John Paul Stevens.
Supreme Court Justice Elena Kagan confirmed by Senate [USAT]
