Elena Kagan

Elena Kagan Age: 50 Born: April 28, 1960 Birthplace: New York City Hunter College High School; graduated 1977 Bachelor's degree in history from Princeton University; graduated 1981 Master of philosophy degree from Oxford in 1983 Harvard Law School; graduated 1986 Experience: Clerk for U.S. Circuit Court Judge Abner Mikva: 1986 Clerk for U.S. Supreme Court Justice Thurgood Marshall: 1987 Professor, University...

The Supreme Court, noting that virtually all criminal cases are settled through plea deals, has ruled for the first time that defendants have a right to competent advice from a lawyer on whether to accept an offer to plead guilty in exchange for a lighter sentence. At a minimum, the court said, the defendant must be told of any formal offers from a prosecutor that would result in a favorable deal. The pair of 5-4 decisions handed down Wednesday could have a broad impact on the nation's criminal justice system because of the importance of plea deals.

"Mr. Chairman, the law school I had the good fortune to lead has a kind of motto, spoken each year at graduation. We tell the new graduates that they are ready to enter a profession devoted to "those wise restraints that make us free."

For months there have been repeated calls from Supreme Court watchers for Justices Clarence Thomas and Elena Kagan to recuse themselves from the healthcare litigation to be argued before the court in March. The controversy heightened in December when Chief Justice John G. Roberts Jr., in his year-end report, argued that not only should Supreme Court justices decide recusal issues solely for themselves, but that some ethical rules that apply to all other federal judges should not bind the justices.

Racing to danger Re "A grim reminder of danger," June 29 Five CHP patrolmen have died in the line of duty in recent weeks. Perhaps we are reaping the fruit of tolerating drivers who shrink safety margins by flagrantly speeding, driving aggressively and distracting themselves with electronic accessories, especially here in Southern California. Driving I-5 over the Grapevine toward L.A.

Elena Kagan was sworn in as the 112th justice of the Supreme Court on Saturday, opening the first era in U.S. history with three women serving on the nation's premier judicial bench. Chief Justice John G. Roberts Jr. administered the oath at the Supreme Court just two days after the Senate's 63-37 vote Thursday to confirm her nomination and one day after President Obama hosted a White House reception in Kagan's honor. She is not expected to dramatically change the ideological balance of the court because she replaces retired Justice John Paul Stevens, a fellow liberal jurist.

A question of pay Re "L.A. posts city employee salaries," Aug. 7 Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa makes only $232,425 a year. That's dwarfed by salaries of over $300,000 for the police chief, and the general managers of the airports and the harbor. Even the city administrative officer earns more. No wonder Villaraigosa needs freebies from the Lakers and Dodgers. At his low salary, it's a matter of survival — or becoming a couch potato, watching the teams on TV. Seriously, while Bell gave salaries beyond imagination, L.A.'s salaries aren't so far behind.

Kagan on the court? Re "Kagan is picked for high court," May 10 Elena Kagan, the president's nominee for the Supreme Court, has the least amount of experience of any nominee in the last three decades. Her judicial experience is zero, as is her real-world experience. President Obama appointed her as solicitor general, where she once argued that the federal government has the power to ban certain books and pamphlets. Responding to this argument for the majority of the court, Chief Justice John G. Roberts Jr. wrote, "As a free-floating test for 1st Amendment coverage, that idea is startling and dangerous."

Elena Kagan's elevation to the Supreme Court appeared virtually assured Wednesday, the second day of debate over her confirmation, as a majority of senators declared support for her nomination. Kagan, 50, the U.S. solicitor general, was tapped by President Obama in May to replace retired Justice John Paul Stevens. A floor vote on the nomination is likely Thursday, and Republicans are not expected to attempt a filibuster. For some senators, however, their decision may have consequences beyond confirming the nation's 112th justice.

After more than three hours, Elena Kagan, the solicitor general of the United States, got her chance to speak directly to the panel of senators who will weigh her nomination to be the next Supreme Court justice and promised to do her best and work hard while keeping her mind open to deal with contentious issues. Kagan avoided taking any specific positions Monday on the contentious social issues on which she will likely rule, if confirmed. Nominated to become the 112th justice on the Supreme Court, she took a modest stand while promising to work impartially for justice for all. "I will make no pledges this week other than this one -- that if confirmed, I will remember and abide by all these lessons," she told the Senate Judiciary Committee.

As the Supreme Court prepares to consider one of the most closely watched cases in its recent history, two of its nine justices -- one on the left and one on the right - -are being urged to step aside and let their colleagues determine the fate of President Obama's healthcare overhaul without them. Conservatives want Elena Kagan, the newest jurist on the court, off the case because of her ties to the Obama administration. Liberals would like to see Clarence Thomas to excuse himself because of his wife's connection to advocacy groups that want the law overturned.

A Mexican national who became the focus of an international dispute was put to death Thursday by Texas authorities after the Supreme Court, on a 5-4 vote, refused an urgent appeal from the Obama administration to stop the execution. Humberto Leal Garcia, 38, was given a lethal injection for the 1994 rape and murder of a 16-year-old girl in San Antonio. His case drew the attention of the Mexican and U.S. governments because Texas officials failed to notify the Mexican consulate at the time of his arrest and trial, a violation of the Vienna Convention.

The Supreme Court on Thursday put an extra burden on crime labs, declaring that a man accused of drunken driving has the right to demand that a lab technician testify in person about a blood test that showed he was impaired. The 5-4 decision was the latest to extend the reach of a defendant's constitutional right "to be confronted with the witnesses against him. " And once again, the outcome was driven by an unusual coalition of conservative and liberal justices. Two years ago, the court said a crime lab technician was a witness for the prosecution and, therefore, must be available to testify.

The Supreme Court bolstered the rights of juveniles for the second year in a row, deciding by a 5-4 vote that police officers who remove a student from class for questioning about a crime usually must warn him or her of the right to remain silent. The decision Thursday did not set a strict rule for all cases involving police questioning of minors, but the justices said young people deserved extra protection because they would feel they had no choice but to answer. "It is beyond dispute that children will often feel bound to submit to police questioning when an adult in the same circumstance would feel free to leave," wrote Justice Sonia Sotomayor.

The Senate on Monday approved Donald B. Verrilli, Jr. as the U.S. solicitor general, taking over the position that opened after Elena Kagan’s confirmation to the U.S. Supreme Court last year. Verrilli, a deputy counsel to President Obama and former associate deputy attorney general, was approved 72-16 as federal government’s chief legal representative before the U.S. Supreme Court. He had been an attorney in private practice for 20 years, and argued 12 cases before the court.

Senate Republicans blocked a vote on the nomination of UC Berkeley law professor Goodwin Liu to the federal appeals court in San Francisco, making Liu the first judicial nominee named by President Obama to be successfully filibustered. The move appears to doom Liu's chances of becoming the first Asian American on the U.S. 9th Circuit Court of Appeals, which serves California, Hawaii, Washington and Oregon, all states with significant or growing Asian populations. Democrats failed to come close to the 60 votes needed to override the filibuster.

The Senate stands on the edge of what could be the biggest fight over an Obama administration judicial nominee yet, larger than either of the conflicts over Supreme Court picks Elena Kagan and Sonia Sotomayor. Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) has scheduled a vote for Thursday on the motion to cut off debate over the nomination of Goodwin Liu to the U.S. Court of Appeals in San Francisco. The motion requires 60 votes to pass—and its failure to do so would be, in effect, a filibuster.