Mr. President, I rise in support of the nomination of Solicitor General Elena Kagan to serve as Associate Justice of the United States Supreme Court. A lifetime appointment to the highest Court in the land is a serious matter, and confirming each Justice is one of the most solemn duties of any Senator. When I sat down with her, I was struck by Ms. Kagan's obvious intelligence and candor. It was also obvious that her wealth of professional experience has given her a real reverence for our country's rule of law. As the confirmation process went on, I paid close attention to the answers Ms. Kagan gave to my colleagues on the Judiciary Committee in her hearing. What comes across loud and clear when one listens to Ms. Kagan is that she has a strong belief in the Constitution and an understanding of its purpose to serve and protect the American people. Throughout the arduous process of being a Supreme Court nominee, Ms. Kagan has impressed me at every turn with her intellect, integrity, and independence. These are fundamental traits our Nation needs in every member of the highest Court in the land. But being a Supreme Court Justice requires more than surviving the confirmation process. If confirmed, Ms. Kagan would be ruling on the most important and urgent matters facing our Nation. Her voice would carry with it the rich and varied background of professional experience that would sound a note of true intellectual independence.…
Share & report
More from Ron Wyden
Mr. President, before he leaves the floor, I just want to thank Leader Schumer for all the help. We are going to be focused today on something that really matters to people, and I thank him. Mr. President, we are beginning, as you can…
Senator Welch, thank you for your leadership. It is great to have you on this committee. Mr. President, to wrap up, our investigation has found that Pfizer has carried out what could be the largest tax-dodging scheme in the history of Big…
Reserving the right to object, let me make sure we are clear with my friend because we do a lot of work together, and I am looking forward to continuing it. I don't see much to object to this afternoon. We both want to be all in on the…
Mr. President, I come to the floor with my colleague from Vermont Senator Sanders to pass a set of critical improvements to America's healthcare system. This legislation is overwhelmingly bipartisan, fully paid for, and targeted at two…





