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Elena Kagan Sworn In


ELENA KAGAN X390 (GETTY IMAGES) | ADVOCATE.COM

Elena Kagan was sworn in Saturday morning as the 112th justice to serve on the Supreme Court.

The former dean of Harvard Law School took two required oaths from Chief Justice John Roberts, promising in her second oath to “do equal right to the poor and to the rich.” She succeeds Justice John Paul Stevens.

Kagan was confirmed to the Supreme Court on Thursday with the backing of nearly all Democrats, two independents, and a few Republicans in the Senate.

She is the fourth woman ever to serve on the Supreme Court and joins justices Ginsburg and Sotomayor to mark the first time three women have served at the same time.

During her confirmation hearings, some Republican senators criticized Kagan, a former dean of Harvard Law School, for her decision to limit assistance to military recruiters on campus because of the “don’t ask, don’t tell” policy, which she has denounced. They also questioned why, as solicitor general, she did not pursue a legal challenge to the policy.

One of the cases the high court may hear in the coming years is the one involving California's Proposition 8. Proponents of the anti-marriage equality measure are seeking to appeal federal judge Vaughn Walker's Wednesday ruling striking it down.

A formal investiture will take place October 1, three days before the justices begin their next term.

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Reader Comments
  • Name: Frank E.
    Date posted: 8/9/2010 2:15:20 PM
    Hometown: Austin

    Comment:

    The Supreme Court is basically a court of 1, Anthony Kennedy. The effectiveness of Ms. Kagan will be how well she can get Kennedy onto her side. The liberal bloc is: Kagan, Sotomayor, Breyer, Ginsberg. The conservative bloc is Roberts, Alito, Scalia, Thomas. Kennedy is the "swing" vote - he probably leans more right than he does left, but he has been on the progressive side in important cases, notably ones related to LGBT issues (Romer, Lawrence, and more recently, Martinez) so it is really an up-in-the-air thing as to how LGBT related cases will go on the court - it all depends on where Kennedy is lining up on a given issue. Nice to have Ms. Kagan in there, but the balance of the court remains the same: it is still a court of 1, Anthony Kennedy.

  • Name: Greg
    Date posted: 8/7/2010 9:38:00 PM
    Hometown: Providence

    Comment:

    Barney Rubble Kagan MAY turn out to be a closet conservative! We've become spoiled by this uncanny run of Republican appointees turning out to be (relative) liberals on the court. But the reverse could happen too.

  • Name: Liam
    Date posted: 8/7/2010 6:35:23 PM
    Hometown: Portland

    Comment:

    Cheers Robbie I totally agree!!

  • Name: Bill
    Date posted: 8/7/2010 6:06:54 PM
    Hometown: Arlington

    Comment:

    I would BY FAR rather have a balanced, progressive justice than a closeted lesbian. If she is closet, she will be dangerous to us.

  • Name: Mark
    Date posted: 8/7/2010 4:46:37 PM
    Hometown: WF

    Comment:

    I hope Kagan comes out of the closet and also admits that the US Constitution (Amendment 14) includes born gay/lesbian taxpayers and civil marriage. I also pray that one of the 5 conservative judges leaves (one way or another) the Supreme Court this year and Obama appoints a constitutional fair-minded pro-gay judge in his place. Adolph Bush hurt democracy when he put on the worst 2 hatemongers (Roberts and Alito). Mormon Mitt is ready with his anti-gay Mormon picks.

  • Name: melvin
    Date posted: 8/7/2010 4:30:14 PM
    Hometown: south dakota

    Comment:

    I don't get your comment Michael! Are you saying Robbie is wrong in his assessments? Or are you agreeing with those justices? Whatever! I hope the new justice remembers the equal under the law and ensures our rights, and I am not speaking to special ones either.

  • Name: michael
    Date posted: 8/7/2010 4:13:55 PM
    Hometown: odessa tx

    Comment:

    boo freakin hoo Robbie

  • Name: Robbie
    Date posted: 8/7/2010 3:17:02 PM
    Hometown: Seattle

    Comment:

    I hope Justice Elena Kagan is strong and persusive enough to block the four conservative, activist piranhas on the Supreme Court: the combative Antonin Scalia; the idealogical Clarence Thomas, the most conservative member of the Supreme Court (Thomas dissented in the Texas sodomy case voting to uphold the Texas law favoring prosecution, saying that the Texas anti-gay sodomy statute was "uncommonly silly".); Chief Justice John Roberts (another Catholic opposed to abortion); and Justice Samuel Alito (in favor of everyone having submachine guns and opposed to abortions and gay rights). Justice Thomas voted to overturn federal laws in 34 cases and Justice Scalia in 31, as they try to mold America into their image of the 1800s. The four conservatives are activist judges more than willing to extend the U.S. Constitution in new directions, as when they ruled to expand gun rights and block abortions; to allow corporations to donate unlimited amounts in political campaigns. I hope Kagan helps.



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