Here is more reaction from special interest groups, academics and politicians:
Judicial Watch President Tom Fitton
“President Obama's nomination of Elena Kagan to the Supreme Court is irresponsible. Ms. Kagan is a liberal activist and political operative with no experience as judge. A Supreme Court nominee ought to have significant practical experience as a lawyer or a judge - especially a nominee for the nation's highest court. Her decision to throw the military recruiters off of the campus of Harvard Law School during a time of war shows she is far to the left of mainstream America. The fact that she continued to work in the Clinton White House after it became clear that President Clinton lied under oath raises questions about her ethical judgment. And her record, as spotty as it is, shows that Ms. Kagan is a committed liberal judicial activist. Tea Party activists ought to be paying close attention to this nomination.”
Bill Wilson, president, Americans for Limited Government
"Elena Kagan is an unknown quantity with nothing in her record to recommend her to the highest court in the land. She's never been a judge, and devoid of any examples, Senators will be hard-pressed to determine exactly what her judicial philosophy is. President Bush's nomination of Harriet Miers' was withdrawn for the same exact reason, and rightly so."
Stephen Vladeck, American University Washington College of Law
“Kagan has basically been the front-runner since the last nomination, and it’s hardly surprising that President Obama settled on someone with such stellar academic and governmental credentials. n nominating Solicitor General Kagan, President Obama seems to be shying away from the political fight that other names—including others rumored to be on the ‘short list’—might have raised. Whatever her opponents might say in attempting to rally behind in opposing her nomination, the bottom line is that Kagan is a safe choice, a reality that should placate moderates and independents, but also perhaps frustrate the President’s liberal base. This was an historic opportunity for President Obama. I just hope history doesn’t conclude that, in retrospect, it was a missed opportunity.”
Massachusetts Democratic Sen. John Kerry
“Elena Kagan has been an extraordinary trailblazer and she will be an extraordinary Supreme Court Justice for a very long time. She brings together a remarkable combination of qualities that the Court needs today: a capable mind, a fresh energy, a proven ability to build consensus across ideological lines, and a real-world understanding of how the law and public policy impacts Americans in their daily lives. I hope it bodes well for a swift and fair confirmation process that already in this Congress, seven Republican Senators reached across the aisle to support her nomination as Solicitor General.”
Michael Dorf of Cornell University School of Law and former Supreme Court clerk
“In nominating Elena Kagan, President Obama has signaled that he hopes to avoid a contentious confirmation battle. Kagan's professional credentials are impeccable. She is charming and quick-witted. She has many friends on the right, who appreciated her fair-minded leadership as dean of Harvard Law School. Kagan's ‘paper trail’ consists mostly of scholarly articles defending centrist positions on questions of separation of powers. During her confirmation hearing to become Solicitor General, she happily embraced the role of zealous defender of Congress and the Administration. Whatever personal views she might have, she will likely take an analogous view of the role of judge, thus providing little room for potential opponents to portray her as an activist.”
Glenn Sugameli, staff attorney, Defenders of Wildlife
“We welcome President Obama’s Supreme Court nomination of Elena Kagan, whose record shows an essential understanding of the importance of upholding and enforcing laws that protect people, wildlife and the environment. While she was dean of Harvard Law School, Kagan made environmental law a top priority. She helped found the Enviromental Law Program, and in one of her most prominent hires, recruited prominent environmental scholar Jody Freeman to lead the program. Kagan also started an Environmental Law & Policy Clinic where students provide vital assistance on cases and policy. It is critical that Justice Stevens’ successor be fair-minded and experienced and understand why environmental laws were written.”
Robert Bernstein, executive director of the Bazelon Center for Mental Health
"The advancement of legal protections for people with disabilities has always been a bipartisan effort. We need strong leaders on the courts to ensure that disability rights laws have the broad remedial effect Congress intended. We hope General Kagan will be such a leader on the Supreme Court. We appreciate Elena Kagan's demonstrated ability to bring together people from all sides of the political spectrum to reach consensus on the challenges we face and we look forward to learning more about her views on disability rights issues during the confirmation process.”
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