The U.S. Senate is expected to approve Elana Kagan to serve on the Supreme Court.
The full Senate is scheduled to vote Thursday on the nomination. The Senate Judiciary Committee had approved Kagan two weeks ago by a 13-6 vote mostly on party lines.
If approved by the Senate, Kagan, 50, would raise to three the number of Jewish justices on the high court, joining Ruth Bader Ginsburg and Stephen Breyer. She also would be the fourth woman to serve as a justice, and one of three on the current court with Ginsburg and Sonia Sotomayor.
Kagan, a New York City native, is now serving as U.S. solicitor general. She was an attorney and policy adviser in the Clinton White House for four years. Kagan is a former dean of the Harvard Law School.
President Obama nominated Kagan in May to replace Justice John Paul Stevens, who served on the court for 35 years. Kagan is expected to support the court’s more liberal wing, which Stevens led during his time on the court.
The Senate has been debating Kagan’s nomination for the past three days ahead of a monthlong recess.
More news and opinions than at a Shabbat dinner, right in your inbox.