Elena Kagan Says Learning the Ropes at Supreme Court Has Been a 'Whirlwind'

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In her first interview since joining the Supreme Court, Elena Kagan tells C-SPAN that she uses a Kindle for the "endless reading" of briefs, has "extraordinary respect" for Chief Justice John Roberts' penetrating exploration of issues before the court, and that acclimating to the highest court in the land is "like drinking out of a fire hose. . . . It's always something new, something different, a lot to learn."

The interview, conducted last month, will air on Sunday, Dec. 19, at 6:30 p.m. and 9:30 p.m., and 12:30 a.m. Dec. 20.

In excerpts released by C-SPAN, the former dean of the Harvard Law School said her goal is to write opinions that will be "as clear as possible. I would like people to pick them up and understand them. I would like them to be as thoughtful as possible. I would like to write the kind of opinions which really do address the competing arguments -- don't try to sweep competing arguments under the rug, but try to address them fairly and forthrightly."

She said her new colleagues have been "extraordinarily helpful," but noted that her prior role as solicitor general for the government has been a big plus: "Being solicitor general, you get to see the court, and everything it does, just from a different point of view, from the point of view of the advocate rather than the judge. So I think I'm familiar with practices and the procedures. . . . But it's been a whirlwind. It's . . . new and exciting things all the time."

She said that previous role has meant recusing herself from cases in which she had been involved. "The worst month was October, and I think by the middle of this year . . . most of the recusal issues are likely to be gone. There'll be an occasional case even after this year and in the spring where I will have to recuse myself, but the arc is definitely subsiding."

The full video and transcript from the interview will be available at www.C-SPAN.org after its first airing on Dec. 19.

A video excerpt can be seen below.

Filed Under: Supreme Court

Tagged: dailyguidance, Elena Kagan, john roberts, kindle

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