Is it June 28 yet? Because the final days leading up to the start date of Elena Kagan’s confirmation hearings are really dragging. Here are some interesting tidbits to mull over the weekend. But seriously, bring on those hearings!
The gargantuan document dump of memos and other papers from Kagan’s early career has so far turned up little of consequence. Maybe the release of 80,000 pages of e-mails later today will reveal something a bit juicier?
That’s not to say we haven’t learned anything from the paper trail. We now know, for instance, that as associate counsel in the White House, Kagan played a key role in defending President Clinton’s claim of attorney-client privilege when the Senate committee investigating Whitewater demanded notes from a meeting between his lawyers.
We’ve also learned about her time as a Supreme Court clerk for Justice Thurgood Marshall, including her thoughts on whether the high court should have heard a harrowing case involving a five-year-old boy beaten to the point of permanent brain damage by his father.
Kagan, by the way, will be only the sixth justice to have clerked on the high court if she’s confirmed. And though some Republicans are making hay over her memos advising Justice Marshall on whether to take certain cases, the documents don’t necessarily reveal much about Kagan’s personal views.
Finally, the Hill brings us a fun interview with a former Harvard Law student who remembers Kagan as a “super nice” professor. It’s a good thing for Kagan, because he’s now a legislative staffer aiding Senator John Kerry in moving her nomination through the Senate.
SCOTUS Watch: Waiting-for-Confirmation Edition
Until June 28, Elena Kagan watchers have to content themselves with e-mail dumps and records of her time as a clerk
Is it June 28 yet? Because the final days leading up to the start date of Elena Kagan’s confirmation hearings are really dragging. Here are some interesting tidbits to mull over the weekend. But seriously, bring on those hearings!
The gargantuan document dump of memos and other papers from Kagan’s early career has so far turned up little of consequence. Maybe the release of 80,000 pages of e-mails later today will reveal something a bit juicier?
That’s not to say we haven’t learned anything from the paper trail. We now know, for instance, that as associate counsel in the White House, Kagan played a key role in defending President Clinton’s claim of attorney-client privilege when the Senate committee investigating Whitewater demanded notes from a meeting between his lawyers.
We’ve also learned about her time as a Supreme Court clerk for Justice Thurgood Marshall, including her thoughts on whether the high court should have heard a harrowing case involving a five-year-old boy beaten to the point of permanent brain damage by his father.
Kagan, by the way, will be only the sixth justice to have clerked on the high court if she’s confirmed. And though some Republicans are making hay over her memos advising Justice Marshall on whether to take certain cases, the documents don’t necessarily reveal much about Kagan’s personal views.
Finally, the Hill brings us a fun interview with a former Harvard Law student who remembers Kagan as a “super nice” professor. It’s a good thing for Kagan, because he’s now a legislative staffer aiding Senator John Kerry in moving her nomination through the Senate.
Subscribe to Washingtonian
Follow Washingtonian on Twitter
More>> Capital Comment Blog | News & Politics | Party Photos
Marisa M. Kashino joined Washingtonian in 2009 and was a senior editor until 2022.
Most Popular in News & Politics
Every Bus Line in DC Is Changing This Weekend. Here’s What to Know.
Yet Another Anti-Trump Statue Has Shown Up on the National Mall
8 Takeaways From Usha Vance’s Interview With Meghan McCain
Another Mysterious Anti-Trump Statue Has Appeared on the National Mall
Bans on Underage Vaping, Swastika Graffiti, Synthetic Dyes: New Virginia Laws Go Into Effect in July
Washingtonian Magazine
July Issue: The "Best Of" Issue
View IssueSubscribe
Follow Us on Social
Follow Us on Social
Related
How Would a New DC Stadium Compare to the Last One?
The Culture of Lacrosse Is More Complex Than People Think
Did Television Begin in Dupont Circle?
Kings Dominion’s Wild New Coaster Takes Flight in Virginia
More from News & Politics
Speaker Johnson’s Megabill Prayers Likely to Be Answered Before Holiday Weekend, Wrongly Deported Maryland Man Faced Abuse in El Salvador Prison, and We Found Some Yummy Nepalese Food
Pardoned J6er Will Join Ed Martin’s Justice Department Office, Trump Outlines Hypothetical Alligator Escape Plan, and We Have Fireworks Show Recommendations
The “World’s Largest Outdoor Museum” Is Coming to DC. Here’s a Preview.
A Cult Classic of Cannabis Brands Is Making Its DC Debut
The Commanders Wine and Dine DC Council Members; GOP Senator Suggests Tax Language Was “Airdropped” Into Spending Bill; and Trump Wants DOGE to Investigate Musk
100 Reasons to Love DC Right Now
How DC’s Attorney General Got So Good at Double Dutch
DC Council Ponders New Way to Expel Trayon White, the GOP’s Budget Bill Advances, and We Found You Some Tacos With Ethiopian Flair