memeorandum: Obama Nominates Elena Kagan (JONATHAN TURLEY)

10:30 AM ET, May 11, 2010

Top Items:

Kagan and the Military: What Really Happened — As dean, she upheld a policy already in place. — With the announcement of Elena Kagan as nominee for the open seat on the Supreme Court, comments both sound and foolish are sure to flood the media. In the prior category is the observation …

Discussion: Washington Post, Outside The Beltway, Townhall.com, Riehl World View, The Democratic Daily, Blogs of War and Mudville Gazette

David Brooks / New York Times:

What It Takes — About a decade ago, one began to notice a profusion of Organization Kids at elite college campuses. These were bright students who had been formed by the meritocratic system placed in front of them. They had great grades, perfect teacher recommendations …

Discussion: Blogs and Stories, msnbc.com, Swampland, Washington Post, NewsBusters.org, News Desk, ABCNEWS, The Daily Caller, PostPartisan, City Room, Althouse and The Note

Scott Lemieux / American Prospect:

Is Kennedy Easily Manipulated? — One important component of the liberal case for Elena Kagan seems to be that she could exert a strong influence on the Court's median vote, Anthony Kennedy. Here's Jeffrey Rosen: … And half-seriously, Jonathan Zasloff:

Discussion: Matthew Yglesias, Concurring Opinions, Outside The Beltway, The New Republic and Slate

David Bernstein / The Volokh Conspiracy:

Isn't This a Bit Much? — The president went to Harvard, and barely defeated a primary opponent who went to Yale. His predecessor went to Yale and Harvard, and defeated opponents who went to Yale and Harvard, and Harvard, respectively. The previous two presidents also went to Yale …

Discussion: Washington Wire, The Huffington Post, New York Personal …, The Ninth Justice, The BLT, Weekly Standard, Politics Daily, Outside The Beltway, Los Angeles Times, USA Today, The Moderate Voice, Chicago Boyz and SCOTUSblog

Peter Baker / New York Times:

News Analysis: Kagan Nomination Leaves Longing on the Left — WASHINGTON — The selection of Solicitor General Elena Kagan to be the nation's 112th justice extends a quarter-century pattern in which Republican presidents generally install strong conservatives on the Supreme Court …

Discussion: Ezra Klein, The Politico, McClatchy Washington Bureau, Blogs and Stories, Wall Street Journal, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, Law Blog, Washington Post, Los Angeles Times, New York Times, Le·gal In·sur·rec· tion, The Hill, Opinionator, Wonkette, American Power and Political Punch

Cattzen / CBS News:
Kagan Confirmation Quest Expected to Succeed

Discussion: Washington Monthly and The Huffington Post

Jane Hamsher / The Politico:
Wrath of the angry left

Discussion: Power Line, Betsy's Page, The Confluence, The Mahablog, About.com US Liberal Politics, Lynn Sweet, Cato @ Liberty, Instapundit and Salon

Eugene Volokh / The Volokh Conspiracy:
Elena Kagan as Scholar

Discussion: Ezra Klein, Newsweek Blogs, Balkinization, SCOTUSblog, NY Daily News, Washington Wire, Mother Jones and The Bilerico Project

Mike Madden / Salon:
GOP: Judicial experience matters, unless it doesn't

Discussion: Slate, Burnt Orange Report and Washington Wire

Doug Heye / GOP.com:
The Problem With Kagan's “Defective” Quotation

Discussion: The Corner on National …, Maryland Politics, Hot Air, Politics Daily, skippy the bush kangaroo, Swampland, Ben Smith's Blog, Wonkette, Washington Monthly, The Hill, Right Now, TPMDC, The Huffington Post and Law Blog

New York Times:
Searching for Elena Kagan

Discussion: New York Times, The Corner on National …, Political Punch, BAGnewsNotes, The Atlantic Online, The Huffington Post and The Agitator

Jon Ward / The Daily Caller:
Elena Kagan no longer thinks Supreme Court nominees should have …

Discussion: TalkLeft, Outside The Beltway, Le·gal In·sur·rec· tion, Hot Air and News Desk

Jon Ward / The Daily Caller:
White House bristles at mention of Elena Kagan's sexuality …

Discussion: The Moderate Voice, Political Insider, The Huffington Post, The Nation, Mediaite, Taylor Marsh, Hot Air, NewsBusters.org, The Daily Dish and Gateway Pundit

Brian Beutler / TPMDC:
Top Strategist Advises GOP To Prolong SCOTUS Fight To Block Obama Agenda

Discussion: The Hill, Newshoggers.com, The Moderate Voice, The Washington Independent, Americans For Truth, Daily Kos and Right Now

Ilya Somin / The Volokh Conspiracy:
Kagan, the Harvard Ban on Military Recruiters, and Anti-Military Bias

Discussion: Mother Jones, The Other McCain, The Lonely Conservative, Think Progress and Power Line

JONATHAN TURLEY:
Obama Nominates Elena Kagan

Discussion: Mediaite, Salon, Wake up America, Firedoglake, TalkLeft, American Prospect and The Corner on National …

Brad Thor / Big Government:

EXCLUSIVE: Mullah Omar Captured! — Through key intelligence sources in Afghanistan and Pakistan, I have just learned that reclusive Taliban leader and top Osama bin Laden ally, Mullah Omar has been taken into custody. — According to the State Department's Rewards for Justice Program …

Discussion: Left Coast Rebel, Hot Air, The Atlantic Online, Weasel Zippers, The Jawa Report, Doug Ross, RedState and Another Black Conservative

Marc A. Thiessen / Washington Post:

U.S. may be passing up chances to stop terrorist plots — Did a captured Taliban leader know about the Times Square plot and withhold this information from his interrogators? — On Sunday, Obama administration officials, including counterterrorism chief John Brennan …

Discussion: The Corner on National … and Swampland

New York Times:

Drone Strikes Pound West Pakistan — KARACHI, Pakistan — In an unusually ferocious American attack on militants in Pakistan, about 18 missiles fired from pilotless aircraft killed at least 14 fighters and wounded four others on Tuesday in the tribal area of North Waziristan, a security official and a resident of the area said.

Discussion: Weasel Zippers

Fox News:
Clinton Accuses Pakistani Officials of Holding Back on Bin Laden Intelligence

Discussion: Liberty Pundits Blog and CBS News

Hilary Andersson / BBC:

‘Secret jail’ confirmed at US base — The US airbase at Bagram in Afghanistan contains a facility for detainees that is distinct from its main prison, the Red Cross has confirmed to the BBC. — Nine former prisoners have told the BBC that they were held in a separate building, and subjected to abuse.

Discussion: The Huffington Post

Wall Street Journal:

Did Big Bet Trigger Stock Swoon? — Shortly after 2:15 p.m. Eastern time last Thursday, hedge fund Universa Investments LP placed a big bet in the Chicago options trading pits that stocks would continue their sharp declines. — On any other day, this $7.5 million trade for 50,000 options contracts might …

Discussion: Deal Journal, Runnin' Scared, Felix Salmon, FT Alphaville and DealBook

Allahpundit / Hot Air:

New McCain ad: You cannot be serious — I don't know what to say, guys. I'm genuinely speechless. Pandering is one thing, shameless careerist pandering is something else, and then there's John “Goddamned Fence” McCain marching along the border in a badass Navy baseball cap looking …

Discussion: Taylor Marsh, Another Black Conservative, BLACKFIVE, The Lonely Conservative, The Other McCain, Scared Monkeys, Left Coast Rebel, Outside The Beltway, Liberty Pundits Blog and The Reaction

Dennis Cauchon / USA Today:

Tax bills in 2009 at lowest level since 1950 — Amid complaints about high taxes and calls for a smaller government, Americans paid their lowest level of taxes last year since Harry Truman's presidency, a USA TODAY analysis of federal data found. — Some conservative political movements such as the …

Discussion: Washington Monthly and JammieWearingFool

Sergei L. Loiko / Los Angeles Times:

U.S. troops march in Moscow in salute to Allies' role in WWII — American soldiers march for the first time in Red Square in a Victory Day parade, sparking anger among some Russians. — Seventy-one U.S. infantrymen march in Moscow's Red Square as part of the annual Victory Day parade.

Discussion: Outside The Beltway, Hot Air and Sense of Events

Maggie Haberman / The Politico:

Fossella mulls bid for former seat — Former Rep. Vito Fossella (R-N.Y.), who opted not to seek re-election in 2008 after a DWI arrest exposed the married father of three as having a second family in Virginia, is seriously considering entering the race for his old seat, POLITICO has learned.

Discussion: TPMDC, msnbc.com and The Eye

Colin Woodard / Christian Science Monitor:

'Tea party'-backed platform sails through Maine GOP convention — Maine is known for GOP moderates, but over the weekend, conservative activists succeeded in passing a platform that's backed by tea party groups. — Conservative activists backed by “tea party” groups have rejected …

Discussion: RedState and Portland Press-Herald

Sam Hananel / Associated Press:

Rule change favors unions at airlines, railroads — WASHINGTON (AP) - Labor unions will have an easier time organizing workers at U.S. airline and railroad companies after the Obama administration on Monday changed a 76-year-old rule on union elections. — The change is a major victory …

Discussion: Beltway Confidential, Townhall.com and Big Government

BBC:

Pope pins scandal on Church ‘sin’ — Pope Benedict XVI has warned that the greatest threat to the Catholic Church comes from “sin within”, rather than persecution from outside. — He made his comments in response to a question on the clerical child abuse scandal, while en route to Portugal.

Discussion: Shakesville

Andrew Sullivan / The Daily Dish:

The Evolving Politics And Ethics Of The Closet — John Tabin says I have no consistency on this topic. He's well within his rights to link to pieces (or mere sentences in posts) I have written over two decades to find evolution or shifts, but I think he's wrong to say my slight evolution on this is simply out of pique.

Discussion: Towleroad News #gay, AmSpecBlog, The Moderate Voice, The Poor Man Institute, Sadly, No!, Conventional Folly and action.afa.net

Lindsay Fortado / Bloomberg:

Fired London Bankers Overcome Bonus Backlash in U.K. Courtrooms — U.K. bankers, the butt of political and public criticism for getting taxpayer bailouts and large bonuses, at least have some friends in London's courts. — A former Societe Generale managing director …

Discussion: FT Alphaville and DealBook

Michael O'Brien / The Hill:

Obama drug plan ‘firmly opposes’ legalization as California vote looms — The Obama administration said Tuesday that it “firmly opposes” the legalization of any illicit drugs as California voters head to the polls to consider legalizing marijuana this fall.

Discussion: The Washington Independent