- Obama asks Senate for swift, bipartisan confirmation
- Kagan is a moderate who may not spur big political fight
- Former Harvard Law School dean has never been a judge
President Barack Obama has nominated Solicitor General Elena Kagan for the US Supreme Court, choosing a moderate who may not spur a damaging political fight in a congressional election year.
What the nomination process entails
Mr Obama made the announcement in the White House East Room with Ms Kagan, a 50-year-old former Harvard Law School dean, at his side. The job is a lifetime position and requires confirmation by the US Senate.
President Obama called Ms Kagan a fair-minded choice who is skilled as a ‘consensus-builder’ and called for swift, bipartisan approval.
‘Elena is widely regarded as one of the nation's foremost legal minds,’ Mr Obama said. ‘She is an accomplished legal scholar with a rich understanding of constitutional law.’
Experts said Ms Kagan could be expected to pass fairly smoothly through the Senate confirmation process, which can be fraught with political peril. She has been through one Senate confirmation already - she was confirmed last year for her current position.
If confirmed, Ms Kagan would become the third woman currently on the nine-member court, joining Sonia Sotomayor and Ruth Bader Ginsburg. She would be the fourth ever to serve on the court.
'I look forward to working with the Senate in the next stage of this process, and I thank you again, Mr President, for this honor of a lifetime,' Ms Kagan said.
The country's highest court currently is controlled by a 5-4 conservative majority and Mr Obama's choice to replace 90-year-old liberal John Paul Stevens (left), who is retiring, is unlikely to change that dynamic.
The high court decides contentious social issues such as abortion and the death penalty and high-stakes business disputes.
Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Patrick Leahy said he aims to have Ms Kagan confirmed by early August, which would be in time for her to join the court in its autumn session.
Senate Republican leader Mitch McConnell made clear that Ms Kagan will not receive rubber-stamp approval, pledging to review her 'brief litigation experience.'
Ms Kagan has never been a judge and has served only one year as solicitor general, which is the lawyer who represents the US government in cases before the Supreme Court.
'Fulfilling our duty to advise and consent on a nomination to this office requires a thorough process, not a rush to judgment,' Mr McConnell said.
