Aug 06 2010
Remarks by the President and Elena Kagan at Reception Honoring Her Confirmation
East Room 2:25 P.M. EDT THE PRESIDENT: This is a good day. (Laughter.) Good afternoon, everybody. Welcome to the White House. I am pleased that all of you could be here today as we celebrate the next member of our nation’s highest court. And while she may be feeling a twinge of sadness about giving up the title of “General” — (laughter) — a cool title — I think we can all agree that “Justice Elena Kagan” has a pretty nice ring to it. (Applause.) We are very honored to be joined today by two of Elena’s new colleagues — Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg and Justice Anthony Kennedy — and we’re thankful for their presence. (Applause.) Justice Kennedy assured me that he would keep Justice Kagan out of trouble, and Justice Ginsburg assured me that she would get Justice Kagan into trouble. (Laughter.) So we’ll see how that works out. (Laughter.) We’re also pleased to have several members of Congress, as well as our Cabinet here today; and of course members of Elena’s family. And thanks to all of you for your service and for taking time to be here today. I also want to express my gratitude to our Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman, Senator Leahy; Ranking Member, Senator Sessions; Majority Leader Reid; and Republican Leader McConnell, for seeing to it that Elena got a full, fair and timely hearing. After more than 80 one-on-one meetings and 17 hours of testimony, I’d say that the Senate got a pretty good look at Elena Kagan. They got a good sense of her judicial philosophy, her commitment to the rule of law, her rich understanding of our Constitution, and of course, where she can be found on Christmas Day. (Laughter.) The bipartisan support she received in yesterday’s vote is yet another example of the high esteem in which she’s held by folks across the political spectrum. There aren’t many law school deans who receive standing ovations from both the Federalist Society and the American Constitution Society. And I don’t know too many folks whose fans include President Clinton, Judge Abner Mikva, and Justice Ginsburg, as well as Ken Starr, Miguel Estrada, and Justice Scalia. In fact, I understand that Justice Scalia came to relish their spirited exchanges during Elena’s appearances before the Court — even after Elena cheerfully informed him that he was, and I quote, “wrong” in his understanding of a recent case. (Laughter.) I’m sure that was refreshing for him to hear. (Laughter.) These folks may not agree on much, but they’ve all been impressed, as I have, by Elena’s formidable intellect and path-breaking career — as an acclaimed scholar and presidential advisor, as the first woman to serve as Dean of the Harvard Law School, and most recently as Solicitor General. They admire how, while she could easily have settled into a comfortable practice in corporate law, she chose instead to devote her life to public service. They appreciate her even-handedness and open-mindedness, and her excellent — and often irreverent — sense of humor. These are traits that she happens to share with the last Solicitor General who went on to become a Supreme Court Justice — one for whom Elena clerked, and whom she considers one of her heroes — Justice Thurgood Marshall. And we are very proud to have Justice Marshall’s widow here today joining us. (Applause.) In a tribute she wrote after Justice Marshall’s death, Elena recalled how she and her fellow clerks took turns standing guard when his casket lay in state at the Supreme Court — and how 20,000 people stood in a line that stretched around the block to pay their respects. They were people from every background and every walk of life: black, white, rich and poor, young and old. Many brought their children, hoping to impress upon them the lessons of Justice Marshall’s extraordinary life. Some left notes, some left flowers. One mourner left a worn slip opinion of Brown v.
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Remarks by the President and Elena Kagan at Reception Honoring Her Confirmation