The Senate on Thursday voted to confirm Elena Kagan as the 112th Supreme Court Justice, making it the first time in history that three women will serve together on the 9 member court.
Kagan was confirmed in a 63-37 vote, with five Republicans joining all but one Democrat and two independent Senators who supporting her nomination.
President Obama, praised the vote saying that throughout Kagan’s career she has earned the respect and admiration of a wide cross-section of persons across the political spectrum, an achievement reflected in the “bipartisan” vote.
Obama added that Kagan’s confirmation wasn’t just “an affirmation of Elena’s intellect and accomplishments. It was also an affirmation of her character and her temperament; her open-mindedness and even-handedness; her determination to hear all sides of every story and consider all possible arguments.”
Republicans who voted against confirming Kagan said she lacked the judicial experience, while suggesting that she would use her position on the court to push the Obama administration’s agenda.
Kagan, who will be sworn in on Saturday, joins Justices Ruth Bader Ginsburg and Sonia Sotomayor, Obama’s first nominee on the bench.
