President Barack Obama: Meet Elena

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Good afternoon,

Yesterday I had the pleasure of nominating one of the most brilliant legal minds in America -- and a friend of mine -- for the Supreme Court.

Elena Kagan's trailblazing career speaks for itself. An acclaimed legal scholar, she was the first woman to serve as Dean of Harvard Law School. A dedicated public servant, she was the first woman to serve as Solicitor General. In that position she has represented the American people before the Supreme Court in cases such as Citizens United, where she advocated forcefully for the right of Americans to be heard in our democracy over the well-funded clamor of corporate special interests.

Hear from Elena directly in a video that was recorded moments after I announced my decision:
http://www.whitehouse.gov/blog/2010/05/11/meet-elena-kagan?utm_source=email54&utm_medium=image&utm_campaign=court

Take it from a former constitutional law professor: deciding on the person to nominate to the Supreme Court is no easy task. But I know Elena will be an incredibly effective justice, thanks to her ability to build consensus across ideological lines and her profound grasp of how the law impacts real people's lives. It's made me proud to know and admire her for decades, and even prouder to nominate her to our Nation's highest court.

Thank you,
President Barack Obama