Elena Kagan nominated to US Supreme Court

The Equal Justices Initiative (EJI) welcomes the news that President Obama has nominated Elena Kagan to the USSC. If appointed, she will become the third woman out of nine justices on the court.

In light of the recent controversy surrounding the application of Jonathan Sumption QC for appointment to the UK Supreme Court, we note that the President has evidently considered qualifications other than prior judicial experience to be important in the nomination. While there remains one lone woman on the UKSC, we hope the new government will have the courage to fill the next vacancy on the Supreme Court in the same way.