Today was Day 2 of the Kagan confirmation hearings and here’s just a few of the highlights, according to an Associated Press summary…
Sen. Jeff Sessions took a strong stand against Kagan for the policy of barring military recruiters at Harvard Law when she served as the school’s dean. Kagan said the school actually welcomed the military through a student veterans group and the school’s policy, which was in place prior to her arrival, was a compromise with the school’s non-discrimination policy.
Sessions said Kagan’s response left him more even more “troubled” about her potential nomination.
–By most accounts, Kagan kept her cards close to her vest throughout the hearing with regards to specific legal issues or personal views, which came to the frustration of several Republicans. That included exchanges on abortion, gun rights, and how to interpret the Constitution.
–Kagan indicated she would support allowing Supreme Court proceedings to be televised. She called them “a great thing for the court…and for the American people.”
–Kagan defended her work on the Citizens United v. Federal Election Commission campaign-finance case that she argued on behalf of the Obama administration and lost, but would not say whether she thought the case was wrongly decided.
Things appear in order for Kagan to be confirmed prior to the court’s new term in October. In fact, even Republican Lindsey Graham told Kagan “your stock really went up with me.” She would replace retiring Justice John Paul Stevens.
