In 2009, Kagan became the first woman to serve as solicitor general of the United States and the following year she was confirmed to the Supreme Court. Born April 28, 1960, in New York City to parents Gloria and Robert, Elena Kagan grew up as the second of three children in a middle-class Jewish family living on Manhattan’s Upper West Side.
What did Elena Kagan do as a law clerk?
In 1987 Kagan was a law clerk for Judge Abner J. Mikva of the United States Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit. She became one of Mikva’s favorite clerks; he called her “the pick of the litter”. In 1988 Kagan clerked for Justice Thurgood Marshall of the U.S. Supreme Court.
What did Elena Kagan do at Harvard University?
Kagan excelled academically at Harvard as well, graduating magna cum laude in 1986. Post-graduation, Kagan clerked for Judge Abner Mikva at the U.S. Court of Appeals level. The following year, she clerked for United States Supreme Court Justice Thurgood Marshall.
Was Elena Kagan the first female Supreme Court justice?
After Barack Obama won the presidency in 2008, he appointed Kagan to be the first female solicitor general, and in 2009, the Senate confirmed her nomination. The following year President Obama nominated her as Supreme Court Justice John Paul Stevens’ replacement.
How did Elena Kagan transform Harvard Law School?
According to Kevin Washburn, then dean of the University of New Mexico School of Law, Kagan transformed Harvard Law School from a harsh environment for students to one that was much more student-focused.
What is Elena Kagan’s First Amendment argument?
In the first article, which became highly influential, Kagan argued that the Supreme Court should examine governmental motives when deciding First Amendment cases and analyzed historic draft-card burning and flag burning cases in light of free speech arguments.
