Litigation

Republicans Air New Attacks on Kagan

By Peter Hardin

Republicans unleashed a flurry of new attacks on Supreme Court nominee Elena Kagan Sunday. At the same time, one Republican leader said there were no plans for a filibuster against her confirmation, and former first lady Laura Bush said it was great that Kagan was nominated.

Here are some of the lines of issues raised during Sunday talk shows:

• Sen. Jeff Sessions of Alabama, senior Republican on the Senate Judiciary Committee, accused Kagan of violating the law as dean of Harvard  Law School by enforcing a military recruitment ban on campus.
• But Sen. Patrick Leahy, D-Vermont and the committee chairman, derided the accusations as as “sound and fury signifying nothing,” adding, “recruiting went on at Harvard every single day throughout the time she was there,” according to a Washington Post blog.
• Sen. Mitch McConnell, the Republican Leader, drew on arguments made by the government in arguing the Citizens United case before the Supreme Court to contend that Kagan backs banning books.  Kagan is U.S. solicitor general.
• Former House Speaker Newt Gingrich said President Obama should withdraw Kagan’s nomination for her “anti-military” sentiment.
• Sen. Dianne Feinstein, D-Calif., ridiculed that attack as “nonsense” and “Gingrich hyperbole,” an Associated Press article said.

Laura Bush said it would be good to have three women sitting on the high court. “I just like women to be represented in all parts of American political and civic life,” she said.

Sen. Jon Kyl, R-Arizona, said  Kagan isn’t likely to face a Republican filibuster. “The filibuster should be relegated to the extreme circumstances, and I don’t think Elena Kagan represents that,” said Arizona Sen. Jon Kyl, a member of the Senate Judiciary Committee.

To learn more about Kagan’s nomination, see Gavel Grab and the Justice at Stake “Replacing Justice Stevens” page.

Full post as published by The Gavel on May 16, 2010 (boomark / email).