The Senate Judiciary Committee approved the Supreme Court nomination of Elena Kagan in a 13 to 6 vote this afternoon. The vote fell nearly on party lines, with Senator Lindsey Graham (R-SC) as the only Republican to break from the GOP and vote in favor of Kagan, reports CNN. The Judiciary Committee held four days of hearings on Kagan’s nomination in late June. The full Senate will vote on Kagan’s nomination in August. After the vote, President Obama said, “Elena Kagan is one of this country’s leading legal minds, and has shown throughout this process that, if confirmed, she would be a fair and impartial Supreme Court Justice who understands how decisions made by the Court affect the lives of everyday Americans,” reports CNN. The top Republican on the Committee, Senator Jeff Sessions announced before the vote that he would oppose her nomination, stating that Kagan has “placed her politics above the law, lacks experience, and has activist judicial heroes”, according to the Associated Press. Six other Republicans on the Senate Judiciary Committee confirmed that they would also oppose Kagan’s nomination before the vote, according to UPI. While many Republicans in the Senate are expected to join the opposition, it is anticipated that Kagain will be confirmed, making her the third woman serving on the Court for the first time in history.
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