Elena Kagan appointed as Fourth Woman In History to Sit on Supreme Court

Elena Kagan, President Obama’s second appointment to the Supreme Court was approved by the Senate Thursday.  The Democratic-led Senate voted 63-37, to confirm the former Harvard Law School dean as the fourth female justice in U.S. history. Kagan was Obama's solicitor general, arguing government cases before the Supreme Court, when he named her in May as his choice to replace the retiring liberal Justice John Paul Stevens.  Kagan will be the third woman on the current court but is not expected to change the ideological balance of power on the closely divided panel, which has been dominated by a 5-4 conservative majority. All Democratic senators but one voted for her as well as two independent senators and five Republicans. All other Republican senators opposed her nomination.

Elena Kagan confirmed as new Supreme Court Justice, 8/6/2010 http://www.csmonitor.com/From-the-news-wires/2010/0806/Elena-Kagan-confirmed-as-new-Supreme-Court-Justice