Brittany Buster
Newswire21.org 

Supreme Court nominee Elena Kagan promised at her confirmation hearing on Monday that she'd remain impartial in all cases that come before her, but ran into opposition from Republican senators who questioned her lack of experience on the bench.

The exchange came as the Senate Judiciary Committee opened its first day of hearings on Kagan, who is currently Solicitor General. She referred to the years she spent in the White House and Justice Department to reassure lawmakers she would respect the roles of elected political leaders. 

“The Supreme Court, of course, has the responsibility of ensuring that our government never oversteps its proper bounds or violates the rights of individuals. But the court must also recognize the limits on itself and respect the choices made by the American people,” Kagan said. 

Kagan’s confirmation seems likely because the Democrats have the majority in the Senate with 58 votes to the Republicans’ 41. If confirmed, Kagan will be the 112th justice in the Supreme Court but only the fourth women in history. 

“I will listen hard, to every party before the court and to each of my colleagues. I will work hard. And I will do my best to consider every case impartially, modestly, with commitment to principle, and in accordance with law,” Kagan said in her opening statement.

Republican arguments focus largely on Kagan’s lack of experience as a practicing lawyer or judge, despite her years as dean at Harvard Law. They have portrayed Kagan as being driven more by liberal politics rather than neutral legal standards. 

"While academia certainly has value, there is no substitute for being in the harness of the law, handling real cases over a period of years,” Sen. Jeff Sessions, the committee's ranking Republican said. “In many respects, Ms. Kagan's career has been consumed more by politics than law. This worries many Americans.”