Justice Elena Kagan Confirmed, Jewish Women Rock the Bench!
Elena Kagan as Dean of Harvard Law. Justice Elena Kagan is the fourth woman to serve on the Supreme Court of the United States.
Photo by Doc Searls.
Mazel tov to Elena Kagan, newest Supreme Court Justice!
Justice Elena Kagan joins Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg as the 2nd Jewish woman on the U.S. Supreme Court! She was confirmed by the U.S. Senate yesterday in a vote of 63 to 37, in which most Senators voted along party lines. After some initial brouhaha over the incident regarding military recruiters at Harvard Law and some softball-related speculation about her sexuality (sigh), Kagan's confirmation really had no major road blocks. Even the question of her Jewish identity was a non-issue. The relative ease with which Kagan was confirmed had the unfortunate consequence of undermining the true historical significance of this moment.
Justice Kagan's confirmation marks the fourth time in history that a woman has been appointed to the Supreme Court of the United States, and the first time in history that three women Justices have served at the same time! Considering the fact that women make up about 51% of the population, we are now closer than we have ever been to equal representation on the Supreme Court. To quote Joe Biden, this is a "Big F-ing Deal."
I am so excited to see another woman on the Supreme Court. And like everyone in the Jewish community, I am filled with naches to see a fellow "Jewess with attitude" making history.
To learn more about Elena Kagan, visit her This Week in History article from March 19, 2009. Her confirmation will be added to This Week in History shortly -- stay tuned!
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