Before the Judiciary Committee
Senators Weigh in During Confirmation Hearings
On June 28-30, 2010, the Senate Judiciary Committee held hearings on the nomination of Solicitor General Elena Kagan to the U.S. Supreme Court. The following is excerpted from the question-and-answer portion of the hearings. SENATOR PATRICK LEAHY [VT-D]: The chairman of the Republican National Committee [Michael Steele] criticized you last month for agreeing with Justice Thurgood Marshall’s observation that our Constitution as originally drafted was imperfect. The criticism surprised me, because everything you read about the Founders, they knew that they would lay down something that would not cover every foreseeable thing. I mean, how could they possibly foresee what…
