U.S. President Barack Obama has chosen U.S. Solicitor General Elena Kagan as his nominee for the U.S. Supreme Court, to replace retiring Justice John Paul Stevens. Ms. Kagan, 50, served as the Dean of Harvard Law School for six years as well. Bookeristas weigh in on the news:
Allen West: "Nomination Of Elena Kagan To U.S. Supreme Court"
The retired lieutenant colonel and conservative Republican, who is running for the Congress in Florida's 22nd Congressional District, opines about Ms. Kagan and military issues: "Today President Obama nominated Solicitor General Elena Kagan to replace retiring Justice John Paul Stevens. Justice Stevens was the only member of the Supreme Court who was a combat [v]eteran, serving in the US Navy during WWII. I am disappointed that the President decided against selecting someone who had served this [c]ountry in uniform in a combat zone to serve on the highest Court. Even more disturbing is Ms. Kagan’s stance against ROTC programs being able to actively recruit on the campus of Harvard University, especially since the very Court she’ll be serving on voted down her case. I am interested to know if she still maintains the same perspective on the ROTC programs, especially knowing those programs are the number one producers of Officers in the US Military. I sincerely hope this question is presented to her during her confirmation process. It is also critical to ascertain if Ms. Kagan harbors anti-military sentiments, which could affect her rulings, should similar cases come before her on the Court. For instance, what would be her assessment of the recent US Navy SEALS case?"
He continues his commentary: "Lastly, it is imperative to understand Ms. Kagan’s views on US constitutional rights being granted to illegal enemy combatants. This is a critical issue for the 21st century battlefield upon which we currently find ourselves. Would she agree with the legal precedent set by The Long Island German saboteur incident of 1942? Does Ms. Kagan, like the President who nominated her, view Islamic [e]xtremism as overseas contingency operations, or will she recognize that we are in a war? I look forward to the upcoming confirmation hearings, where I sincerely hope that the Senate will address these important questions."
Mr. Grey Ghost: "Is Elena Kagan The Next Harriet Miers?"
Asks the conservative Democratic blogger in New York City, who argues that Ms. Kagan is unqualified to serve on the nation's highest court: "I know that their [sic] are going to be Obama stans out there who'd support Barry if he picked Santa Claus for SCOTUS, but the fact that Kagan has never been a judge, to me, should alarm those on the Left and the Right."
Project 21: "Kagan Nomination To U.S. Supreme Court"
Members of the black conservative group opine about U.S. President Barack Obama's selection for the U.S. Supreme Court:
Mychal Massie (Project 21 chairman and conservative Republican): "After all of the division he has foisted upon America in his short tenure, Obama had a perfect opportunity to show he could be conciliatory and moderate. With the nomination of Elena Kagan to the U.S. Supreme Court, Obama failed miserably. Obama condemned his nominee, his colleagues in Congress and himself to a long, hot and bitter summer in which the full radicalism of his agenda will be on full display. Obama is rapidly running out of opportunities to convince the American people that his presidential campaign was not simply a collection of hot air and empty promises."
Horace Cooper (conservative adjunct fellow with the National Center for Public Policy Research and former visiting professor at the George Mason University School of Law): "Observers say Kagan is meant to be an ‘intellectual counterweight’ to Chief Justice Roberts and Justice Scalia. Intellectual counterweight? She’d be better described as marginal and outside the mainstream. In the signature case she led as dean of Harvard’s law school preventing military recruiters on her campus she not only lost, but she lost big. Not one justice took her side. Is Kagan truly the best candidate Obama could find, or the one most palatable to his far-left base?”"
R. Dozier Gray (conservative): "As painful as it is for me to accept his choice, President Obama does have the constitutional right to nominate whomever he wants to the Supreme Court. And, with this Senate, he has a reasonable expectation that Elena Kagan will be confirmed. But he should not consider it a certainty. Obama and Harry Reid should not try to game the process as we’ve seen tried so often in this Congress. Obama voted against Samuel Alito when he was in the Senate, so he should naturally be willing to afford each senator that same privilege of advice and consent he once enjoyed."
Michael Steele: "President Obama's Supreme Court Nominee"
The moderate-conservative chairman of the Republican National Committee, in a statement emailed to Booker Rising: "Over the past year, the American people have been witness to President Obama’s massive expansion of the federal government into our daily lives. To assure the American people, President Obama’s Supreme Court nominee, Elena Kagan, will need to demonstrate that she is committed to upholding the vision of our Founding Fathers, who wrote a Constitution meant to limit the power of government, not expand it. The President has stated repeatedly that he wants a justice who will understand the effects of decisions on the lives of everyday Americans. But what Americans want is a justice who will stay true to the Constitution and defend the rights of all Americans, adhering to the rule of law instead of legislating from the bench. Given Kagan’s opposition to allowing military recruiters access to her law school’s campus, her endorsement of the liberal agenda and her support for statements suggesting that the Constitution 'as originally drafted and conceived, was ‘defective,’ you can expect Senate Republicans to respectfully raise serious and tough questions to ensure the American people can thoroughly and thoughtfully examine Kagan’s qualifications and legal philosophy before she is confirmed to a lifetime appointment.”
Clifton Bazar: "Obama To Nominate Elena Kagan To The Supreme Court"
The conservative Republican in New Jersey opines: "Kagan is not without issues. Both the left and the right will take note that her resume is rather thin for the Supreme Court. The right will take note of her opposition to on campus military recruiting because of Don't Ask Don't Tell. The left will certainly take issue with her defense of expanded presidential powers during the Iraq war. To get more detail on Elena Kagan check out Michelle Malkin. If you are wondering about the Elena Kagan gay or Elena Kagan lesbian rumors check out The Other McCain, he has the Google bomb on that issue."
More: "There is also another issue bubbling up on the left. It seems to hint at Kagan being a racist for not having enough diversity in her hiring practices. Depending upon how much the left hates her, this charge may become more explicit. Time will tell."
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Elena Kagan Nominated To U.S. Supreme Court: Bookerista Views
