On Monday, May 10, President Barack Obama nominated Solicitor General Elena Kagan (ΦBK, Princeton University, 1981) to the U.S. Supreme Court. If confirmed, she would replace Justice John Paul Stevens (ΦBK, University of Chicago, 1941), who announced his retirement in April.
When Kagan was appointed Solicitor General by President Obama last year, she became the first woman to serve in that position.
A former University of Chicago Law professor, Kagan is a Princeton University graduate with a bachelor’s degree in history and a graduate of Harvard Law School.
After graduating from Harvard Law, she served as a clerk for Judge Abner Mikva of the U.S. Court of Appeals and, later, clerked for legendary U.S. Supreme Court Justice Thurgood Marshall.
Kagan left her teaching position at the University of Chicago in 1997 to work as Associate Counsel for President Bill Clinton.
In 1999, Kagan returned to academia as a visiting professor at Harvard Law. She becoming a full-time professor of law there in 2001 and served as the dean of Harvard Law from 2003-2009.
Kagan, a New York native, grew up on Manhattan’s Upper West Side.
To watch video of the announcement or to read a transcript of the President's remarks from May 10, click here to go to The White House Web site.