The American Bar Association Standing Committee onis launching its evaluation of the professional qualifications of nominee Elena Kagan for the position of associate justice of the U.S. Supreme Court.
ABA President Carolyn Lamm said the committee “makes a unique contribution to the vetting process by providing the Senate with the important perspectives of lawyers and judges with whom Kagan has worked for consideration during the confirmation process.
Lamm said committee members will interview “hundreds of lawyers, judges and members of the community with knowledge of the nominee’s integrity, professional competence and judicial temperament.
“These interviews will take place in every federal circuit in the country,” she said. “The Standing Committee does not consider a nominee’s political affiliation or ideology.
Legal scholars from respected law schools, Lamm said, will examine the nominee’s legal writings for quality, clarity, knowledge of the law and analytical ability.
Those “reading teams” are composed of professors who are recognized experts in various substantive areas of the law,” she said.
Another panel of pre-eminent lawyers with Supreme Court and appellate experience also will examine the nominee’s legal writings from the perspective of practitioners who are familiar with appellate practice at the highest level, according to Lamm.
“Finally, Kagan will be interviewed at length by members of the Standing Committee regarding her professional qualifications,” she said.
After the evaluation is completed, the findings will be assembled into a report for review by each member of the standing committee who will then individually evaluate the nominee as either “well-qualified,” “qualified,” or “not-qualified.”
“The ABA Standing Committee’s independent peer review will provide the Senate with a thoughtful, thorough evaluation of Kagan’s professional credentials for serving on the nation's highest court as the Senate fulfills its critical constitutional role in the confirmation process,” Lamm said.
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