Obama's nominee to the U.S. Supreme Court

Origins & Identity

Elena Kagan was born April 28, 1960 in New York City, the middle of three children of Gloria Gittelman Kagan and Robert Kagan. She would also be the eighth Jewish justice in United States history and the third on the current bench.

Life & Career

Kagan is Solicitor General of the United States. She is the first woman to hold that office, having been nominated by President Barack Obama on January 26, 2009, and confirmed by the U.S. Senate on March 19, 2009. Kagan was formerly dean of Harvard Law School and Charles Hamilton Houston Professor of Law at Harvard University. She was previously a professor of law at the University of Chicago Law School. She served as Associate White House Counsel under President Bill Clinton.

On May 10, 2010, President Obama announced Kagan as his nominee to become the 112th Justice on the U.S. Supreme Court, filling the expected vacancy created by the announced retirement of Justice John Paul Stevens at the end of the Supreme Court's 2009-2010 term. If confirmed, she would become the fourth female Supreme Court justice in United States history and third on the court's current bench.

Further Resources

• http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Elena_kagan