(05/18/10) -

Americans Approve of Kagans Nomination

(Angus Reid Global Monitor) – Many adults in the United States support their president’s latest choice for the Supreme Court, according to a poll by Angus Reid Public Opinion. 43 per cent of respondents agree with Barack Obama’s nomination of Elena Kagan, while 25 per cent disapprove.

(Angus Reid Global Monitor) – Many adults in the United States support their president’s latest choice for the Supreme Court, according to a poll by Angus Reid Public Opinion. 43 per cent of respondents agree with Barack Obama’s nomination of Elena Kagan, while 25 per cent disapprove.

In the U.S., Supreme Court justices are appointed for life by the president and confirmed by a majority vote in the Senate. In May 2009, U.S. president Barack Obama nominated Sonia Sotomayor to the Supreme Court. In August, Sotomayor was confirmed by the upper house.

On Apr. 9, Supreme Court justice John Paul Stevens—who has been serving since December 1975—announced his intention to retire this year. On May 10, Obama nominated Kagan to the Supreme Court, declaring, "While we can’t presume to replace Justice Stevens’s wisdom or experience, I have selected a nominee who I believe embodies that same excellence, independence, integrity, and passion for the law and who can, ultimately, provide that same kind of leadership on the court."

Kagan has served as solicitor general since March 2009. She previously worked as legal counsel to former U.S. president Bill Clinton and was the first female dean of Harvard Law School. She does not have any prior experience as a judge.

Republican Senate minority leader Mitch McConnell questioned the nomination, saying, "A lifetime position on the Supreme Court does not lend itself to on-the-job training. (…) It strikes me that if a nominee does not have judicial experience, they should have substantial litigation experience. Ms. Kagan has neither."

Polling Data

As you may know, President Obama has nominated Elena Kagan, who currently serves as the Solicitor General of the United States, to the Supreme Court. From what you have seen, read or heard, do you approve or disapprove of Kagan’s nomination?

Complete Poll (PDF)