Litigation

Kagan?s Debut Wins Good Reviews

By Peter Hardin

For a newcomer to the Supreme Court who never served as a judge, Justice Elena Kagan played to some favorable reviews early this week.

(Thanks for the links to SCOTUSblog.) Jan Crawford in CBS News’ Crossroads portrayed Justice Kagan’s opening performance as that of a seasoned “pro,” and she was able to pull in other justices as well:

“When Justice [Anthony] Kennedy perks up and tells a lawyer, ‘I want to know your answer to Justice Kagan’s question,’ that means one thing. Justice Kagan is having a Very Good Day.”

The Wall Street Journal’s Law Blog said Justice Kagan “Dives into the Fray.” In the New York Times, an article described her engagement in an ordinary bankruptcy case this way:

“By her colleagues? standards, Justice Kagan asked straightforward questions in a mild tone. At one point, she deftly aligned herself with the member of the court often at its center, Justice Anthony M. Kennedy.”

Her questions  “indicated mastery of the difficult if mundane question before the court,” the article added.

There continued to be a flurry of analysis and commentary about the court’s composition, upcoming term and leanings. Barry Friedman and Dahlia Lithwick wrote a commentary in Slate, entitled “Watch as We Make This Law Disappear: How the Roberts Court Disguises Its Conservatism.”

“US Supreme Court opens with historic changes,” was the headline for a Christian Science Monitor article.

Full post as published by The Gavel on October 05, 2010 (boomark / email).