Elena Kagan — LLMpedia

Elena Kagan
Name	Elena Kagan
Birth date	April 28, 1960
Birth place	New York City, New York, United States
Alma mater	Princeton University, Worcester College, Oxford, Harvard Law School

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Elena Kagan is an Associate Justice of the Supreme Court of the United States, appointed by Barack Obama and confirmed by the United States Senate in 2010. She is the fourth female justice in the history of the Supreme Court of the United States, following Sandra Day O'Connor, Ruth Bader Ginsburg, and Sonia Sotomayor. Kagan's nomination was supported by the American Bar Association, the National Association of Women Judges, and the National Organization for Women. Her confirmation hearing was held by the Senate Judiciary Committee, chaired by Patrick Leahy.

Early life and education

Elena Kagan was born in New York City, New York, to Robert Kagan and Gloria Gittelman Kagan. She grew up in the Upper West Side of Manhattan, attending Hunter College High School. Kagan then enrolled in Princeton University, where she studied History and graduated magna cum laude in 1981. She was awarded a Marshall Scholarship to study at Worcester College, Oxford, earning a Master of Philosophy degree in 1983. Kagan then attended Harvard Law School, where she earned her Juris Doctor degree in 1986 and was a Supreme Court editor of the Harvard Law Review. During her time at Harvard Law School, she was influenced by professors such as Laurence Tribe and Charles Fried.

After graduating from Harvard Law School, Kagan clerked for Judge Abner Mikva of the United States Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit and later for Justice Thurgood Marshall of the Supreme Court of the United States. She then worked as a lawyer in the Washington, D.C. office of Williams & Connolly and later as a law professor at the University of Chicago Law School. In 1995, Kagan joined the faculty of Harvard Law School, where she became the first female dean in 2003. During her tenure as dean, she worked to increase the diversity of the faculty and student body, and she was supported by Harvard University President Lawrence Summers. Kagan also taught Constitutional Law and Administrative Law at Harvard Law School, and she was a member of the American Law Institute and the Council of the American Bar Association.

In 2009, Barack Obama nominated Kagan to serve as the Solicitor General of the United States, the chief lawyer for the United States government before the Supreme Court of the United States. She was confirmed by the United States Senate in a 61-31 vote and took office on March 19, 2009. As Solicitor General, Kagan argued several high-profile cases before the Supreme Court of the United States, including United States v. Stevens and Holder v. Humanitarian Law Project. She worked closely with Attorney General Eric Holder and the Department of Justice to develop the Obama administration's legal positions on issues such as health care reform and national security. Kagan also coordinated with other government agencies, including the Department of State and the Department of Defense, on matters related to foreign policy and international law.

On May 10, 2010, Barack Obama nominated Kagan to fill the Supreme Court of the United States seat vacated by Justice John Paul Stevens. Her nomination was supported by the American Bar Association, the National Association of Women Judges, and the National Organization for Women. The Senate Judiciary Committee, chaired by Patrick Leahy, held a confirmation hearing for Kagan, during which she testified about her judicial philosophy and answered questions from senators such as Orrin Hatch and Chuck Grassley. Kagan's confirmation was opposed by some Republican senators, including Mitch McConnell and Jeff Sessions, but she was ultimately confirmed by a 63-37 vote on August 5, 2010. Kagan was sworn in as an Associate Justice of the Supreme Court of the United States on August 7, 2010, in a ceremony attended by Chief Justice John Roberts and other justices.

As an Associate Justice of the Supreme Court of the United States, Kagan has written opinions in several significant cases, including National Federation of Independent Business v. Sebelius and United States v. Windsor. She has also joined opinions written by other justices, such as Ruth Bader Ginsburg and Sonia Sotomayor, on issues related to women's rights and LGBT rights. Kagan has been a strong advocate for the rights of workers and consumers, and she has voted to uphold regulations issued by agencies such as the Environmental Protection Agency and the Federal Communications Commission. Kagan has also participated in cases related to national security and foreign policy, including Clapper v. Amnesty International and Zivotofsky v. Kerry. Her opinions have been influenced by the legal theories of Ronald Dworkin and Cass Sunstein, and she has been praised by law professors such as Laurence Tribe and Erwin Chemerinsky.

Elena Kagan is known for her intellectual curiosity and her commitment to public service. She has been recognized for her contributions to the legal profession with awards such as the American Bar Association's Thurgood Marshall Award and the National Association of Women Judges' Justice Sandra Day O'Connor Award. Kagan has also been honored by institutions such as Harvard University and Princeton University, which have awarded her honorary degrees. Her legacy as a lawyer, law professor, and judge continues to inspire law students and young lawyers, particularly women and minorities, to pursue careers in the law. Kagan's impact on the Supreme Court of the United States will be felt for generations to come, and her opinions will be studied by law scholars and historians such as Doris Kearns Goodwin and Nell Irvin Painter.