Published May 10, 2010
U.S. Solicitor General Elena Kagan in January. (Jose Luis Magana, AP)
Boston is talking about Elena Kagan, the U.S. solicitor general and former Harvard Law dean who could be our next Supreme Court justice. What’s your take on President Obama’s nominee? Give us something to argue about in the comments and we might share your views on the air.
In January 2009, the Globe reviewed Kagan’s five years as Dean:
She’s thawed Harvard Law
Some of her initial acts as dean were small-scale improvements, like offering free coffee in classroom buildings and free tampons in women’s bathrooms. On the lawn outside the student center, she added a beach volleyball court that doubled in winter as a skating rink. […] On a grander scale, the school revised its core curriculum, greatly expanded the number of legal clinics that offered students practical experience, and built a new $150 million academic center. And the list of faculty hired by Kagan is long, illustrious, and occasionally controversial.
Apparently Kagan lived in the basement of her constitutional law professor, Laurence Tribe, while a Harvard student. The Crimson profiled Kagan after her appointment in 2003:
She represented a fresh face, and at a school where rivalries run deep had no obvious enemies.
NPR’s Nina Totenberg says Kagan has a limited paper trail, which could pose problems for Republicans and liberals in Congress.
Elena Kagan came to the job of solicitor general with one huge, gaping void. She had never argued a case in the Supreme Court — or any other court for that matter.
@Trevor_of_Ohio, of Cambridge, tweets:
Elena Kagan picked by Obama today as the next SCJ. Really?! Why not me? Like Kagan, I’ve never been a judge; and I’ve “read” about the law.
Stay here throughout the day for updates on the appointment, including live video of President Obama’s announcement at 10 a.m. At 3 p.m., we’ll discuss the news and share your tweets and comments on the new Radio Boston.
