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In this June 30, 2010 file photo, Supreme Court nominee Elena Kagan testifies before the Senate Judiciary Committee hearing on her nomination on Capitol Hill. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon)

Biographical information on Elena Kagan

BIRTHDATE-LOCATION: April 28, 1960-New York City.

EXPERIENCE: U.S. solicitor general, 2009-present; dean, Harvard Law School, 2003-09; professor of law, Harvard Law School, 2001; visiting professor, Harvard Law School, 1999-2001; deputy assistant to President Bill Clinton for domestic policy and deputy director of the Domestic Policy Council, 1997-99; associate counsel to President Bill Clinton, 1995-96; professor, University of Chicago Law School, 1991-95; worked in private practice, Washington, 1989-91; law clerk to Supreme Court Justice Thurgood Marshall, 1987-88; clerked for Judge Abner Mikva of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit, 1986-87.

EDUCATION: Princeton University, bachelor's, 1981; Worcester College at Oxford, master's, 1983; Harvard Law School, law degree, 1986.

QUOTE: "I like to think that one of the good things about me is that I know what I don't know and that I figure out how to learn it when I need to learn it."

Senate to confirm Kagan as court's 4th-ever woman

Succeeds retired Justice John Paul Stevens

Updated: Thursday, 05 Aug 2010, 8:07 AM EDT
Published : Thursday, 05 Aug 2010, 7:51 AM EDT

By JULIE HIRSCHFELD DAVIS Associated Press Writer

WASHINGTON (AP) - Her confirmation assured, Elena Kagan is on the brink of becoming the fourth woman ever to become a Supreme Court justice.

The Senate is set Thursday to confirm President Barack Obama's nominee, whose addition to the court will mark the first time three women have served at the same time. Nearly all Democrats, the Senate's two independents and a handful of Republicans are backing her.

Republicans have harshly criticized Kagan as a political activist who would be unable to put aside her liberal views and render impartial decisions. Democrats defend her as a highly qualified legal scholar who could help bring consensus to the court.

She's not expected to alter the ideological balance there as she succeeds retired Justice John Paul Stevens.

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