Elena Kagan, you are such a person.

I believe we are a better country for the fact that the path of excellence Elena Kagan has taken in her career is a path now open to both men and women.

Our constitutional duty of advice and consent is imperative and should not be taken lightly.

No Senator came to care more about the Constitution or to be a more effective defendant of our constitutional Government than the senior Senator from West Virginia.

Is there any doubt after the Court's decision in Heller and McDonald that the Second Amendment to the Constitution secures a fundamental right for an individual to own a firearm, use it for self-defense in their home?

I believe the proliferation of guns have made this Nation less safe, not more safe.

The Bork hearings were great. The Bork hearings were educational. The Bork hearings were the best thing that ever happened to constitutional democracy.

The courts are not subsidiaries of any political party or interest group, and our judges should not be partisans.

the confirmation process takes on an air of vacuity and farce.

I was very disappointed in that decision and in the Court for reaching out to change the landscape of election law in a drastic and wholly unnecessary way.

It is an awesome responsibility, and I urge the nominee to engage with this Committee and through these proceedings with the American people in a constitutional conversation about the role of the courts and our Constitution.

I hope that Elena Kagan will demonstrate through this hearing that she will be the kind of independent Justice...

the current justices all share very similar professional backgrounds.

The Supreme Court exists for all Americans.

Presidents come and go, but the Supreme Court goes on forever.

I hope you will be forthcoming in your answers so we can have the open and honest discussion of issues that the country deserves.

I believe that the most important qualification for judicial service is the nominee's judicial philosophy or her approach to interpreting and applying the law to decide cases.

They assured Senators that as lawyers for a Presidential administration they were representing the views of the President.

a Senator's constitutional obligation to advise and consent on Supreme Court nominees is probably his or her most important responsibility.

I hope this is just the beginning. Women are increasingly outnumbering men on law school campuses across the Nation.

Senator Byrd cared deeply about the Senate and the Constitution, and we cannot help but think of him as we begin this process today.

The Supreme Court's recent decision in Citizens United... was such a jolt to the system.

Judicial activism now has a new guise--judicial activism to pull the country to the right.

I fear that the recent decision in Citizens United is a step backwards toward Lochner.

I look forward to a thorough and fair examination of Ms. Kagan's record.