The Role of Solicitor General
Elena Kagan's Qualifications for the Supreme Court
On May 10, 2010, President Obama nominated Solicitor General Elena Kagan to replace retiring Justice John Paul Stevens. If confirmed, Elena Kagan would be the first serving solicitor general to be appointed to the Court since the elevation of Thurgood Marshall in 1967. She would also be only the fifth of 111 justices to come to the bench with such experience. Given that Solicitor General Kagan has made few public statements on important legal and policy issues, some have looked to her record as solicitor general for some indication of her views. Others have looked to her time as solicitor…
