Elena Kagan Quotes

A collection of quotes by Elena Kagan.

Elena Kagan is an American lawyer and jurist who served as an Associate Justice of the Supreme Court of the United States from 2010 to 2022. She was born on April 28, 1960, in New York City. Kagan earned her bachelor's degree in history from Princeton University and attended Oxford University as a Rhodes Scholar. She then received her Juris Doctor (J.D.) from Harvard Law School.

After completing her education, Kagan embarked on an impressive legal career. She served as a law clerk for Judge Abner Mikva of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit, and later for Justice Thurgood Marshall of the U.S. Supreme Court. She worked as an associate professor at the University of Chicago Law School before joining the Clinton administration, where she held various roles.

Kagan acted as Associate White House Counsel and Deputy Assistant to the President for Domestic Policy under President Bill Clinton. She later became the first female Dean of Harvard Law School, serving from 2003 to 2009. In 2009, President Barack Obama nominated Kagan to the Supreme Court, and she was confirmed by the Senate in August 2010.

During her tenure on the Supreme Court, Kagan was known for her pragmatism and as a moderate liberal. She advocated for LGBTQ+ rights, the separation of church and state, and criminal justice reform. Elena Kagan retired from the Supreme Court in 2022.

It was a very cool thing to be a smart girl, as opposed to s

It was a very cool thing to be a smart girl, as opposed to some other, different kind. And I think that made a great deal of difference to me growing up and in my life afterward.

Elena Kagan

Cool

When the Senate ceases to engage nominees in meaningful disc

When the Senate ceases to engage nominees in meaningful discussion of legal issues, the confirmation process takes on an air of vacuity and farce, and the Senate becomes incapable of either properly evaluating nominees or appropriately educating the public.

Elena Kagan

Legal

I've led a school whose faculty and students examine and dis

I've led a school whose faculty and students examine and discuss and debate every aspect of our law and legal system. And what I've learned most is that no one has a monopoly on truth or wisdom. I've learned that we make progress by listening to each other, across every apparent political or ideological divide.

Elena Kagan

Legal

In fact, corporate and union moneys go overwhelmingly to inc

In fact, corporate and union moneys go overwhelmingly to incumbents, so limiting that money, as Congress did in the campaign finance law, may be the single most self-denying thing that Congress has ever done.

Elena Kagan

Finance

To have the opportunity to lead the Solicitor General's offi

To have the opportunity to lead the Solicitor General's office is the honor of a lifetime. As you know, this is an office with a long and rich tradition, not only of extraordinary legal skill but also of extraordinary professionalism and integrity. That is due, in large measure, to the people who have led it.

Elena Kagan

Legal