What Senators Should Ask Elena Kagan

Confirmation hearings must focus on big picture
By Marie Morris,  Newser Staff
Posted Jun 27, 2010 2:39 PM CDT
What Senators Should Ask Elena Kagan
Solicitor general Elena Kagan walks to a Capitol Hill meeting related to her nomination to the Supreme Court, May 13, 2010, in Washington.   (AP Photo/Alex Brandon, File)

The process Elena Kagan once derided as a "vapid and hollow charade" gets under way tomorrow when the solicitor general appears before the Senate Judiciary Committee as President Obama's second Supreme Court nominee. "Instead of playing cat-and-mouse with the nominee about how she would rule in future cases, senators should think big," the Los Angeles Times editorial board counsels. Specific questions to ask:

  • Is the high court more like an umpire or an empathetic decision-maker?

  • Do accused terrorists have the same legal rights as other alleged criminals?
  • Where does congressional authority end and Supreme Court authority begin?
  • What role does and should race play in American jurisprudence?
  • How does technology affect interpretation of the First Amendment?
To see the full list—Times editors are very curious—click here. (More Elena Kagan stories.)

Get the news faster.
Tap to install our app.
X
Install the Newser News app
in two easy steps:
1. Tap in your navigation bar.
2. Tap to Add to Home Screen.

X