Supreme Court

Kagan’s Haven?

By Jay Newton-Small | @JNSmall | June 30, 2010 | +


Here’s a wrap up of the first day of questioning in the Senate Judiciary Committee’s hearing to confirm Solicitor General Elena Kagan to the Supreme Court. Kagan has been pretty successful in her charm offensive – disarming her would-be opponents with her quick wit and sense of humor (see above for and ABC mash up of some funny moment). Senator John Cornyn, a Texas Republican, went so far as to call Kagan a “justice-to-be” this morning.

Somehow, though, that charm was lost of Senator Arlen Specter, a Pennsylvania Democrat. This morning, frustrated by her evasive answers, Specter threatened not to vote for Kagan.

It would be my hope that we could find someplace between voting no and having some sort of substantive answers. But I don’t know that it would be useful to pursue these questions any further. But I think we are searching for a way how senators can succeed in getting substantive answers, as you advocated in the Chicago Law Review, short of voting no.

Specter, who lost his primary this spring, loses nothing by breaking ranks with the majority in opposing Kagan. And he did vote against her confirmation to be Solicitor General. Unless she’s filibustered, Kagan won’t need Specter’s vote – though it would drop her expected vote tally down to 64 votes. On the other hand, given her love fest with South Carolina Senator Lindsey Graham yesterday, she may pick up a Republican vote.

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Related Topics: arlen specter, confirmation hearing, elena kagan, solicitor general, 2012 Election, Congress, Republican Party, Senate, Supreme Court, White House

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  • nflfoghorn

    Specter’s being a sourpuss. Does he want to go out like Byrd and Kennedy?

  • Paul-no not that one

    “It would be my hope that we could find someplace between voting no and having some sort of substantive answers.”

    .
    Can’t Arlen “guilty but not proven” Specter live with two choices?

  • gwbc

    dear ms. small, today was the 2nd day of questioning, in case you forgot, there was questioning yesterday ( tuesday ) . are you having memory problems ? on Monday you thought Sandra Day O’Connor was still a justice and that her husband died.

  • sacredh

    “On the other hand, given her love fest with South Carolina Senator Lindsey Graham yesterday”

    You owe me dinner and I’m not cleaning this up.

  • sieben13

    With all due respect Senator Specter,your on your way ,sit back and S.Y.M.

  • deconstructiva

    Jay already made the Ginsburg correction.

  • apr2563

    This is typical Specter: Get the vapors during the hearing, sound tough, and then vote for the nominee. He did this continually through the Bush years. He was constantly swooning during the Justice Dept hearings, then would cave.

  • apr2563

    Why the comparison to Kennedy and Byrd?

  • abdullah69

    Arlen is no doubt holding out for a pardon for his nephew Phil. Otherwise, what else does he want?

  • http://www.twitter.com/jnsmall Jay Newton-Small

    Actually, there was a link there to my wrap that was on time.com that didn’t work. Should be working now.

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