DATE: August 5, 2010                                                     
CONTACT: Judith Schaeffer, 202-296-6889, Ext. 305

CONSTITUTIONAL ACCOUNTABILITY CENTER HAILS THE CONFIRMATION
OF ELENA KAGAN TO THE UNITED STATES SUPREME COURT
 
Statement of Doug Kendall, President, Constitutional Accountability Center, on the Confirmation of Solicitor General Elena Kagan to the United States Supreme Court

                WASHINGTON, D.C. — Constitutional Accountability Center applauds the Senate’s confirmation of Solicitor General Elena Kagan to the United States Supreme Court.  General Kagan has an exemplary professional record as an attorney, as an academic, as a teacher, and as a public servant; she is overwhelmingly qualified to serve on our Nation’s highest court.
Particularly important to CAC as an organization dedicated to the Constitution’s text and history is General Kagan’s respect for text and history and her recognition of the important roles that each plays in constitutional interpretation.  As General Kagan made clear in her testimony at her confirmation hearing, she appropriately rejects the notion of a “living Constitution,” recognizes that the Constitution can be changed only by amendment, and that constitutional rights must be rooted in the text.  She believes that it is a judge’s responsibility to give both sides in every case a fair shake, and that judges must decide cases based on the law.  Her testimony utterly refuted charges by critics that she will be a “judicial activist.”
We congratulate General Kagan on her confirmation, and are confident that she will serve with great distinction on the Supreme Court.
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Constitutional Accountability Center is a think tank, public interest law firm, and action center dedicated to fulfilling the progressive promise of the Constitution’s text and history.