Press Release

Gillibrand Statement On Meeting With Solicitor General Kagan Today

May 27, 2010

Washington, DC —  U.S. Senator Kirsten Gillibrand today met with Solicitor General Elena Kagan, nominee for the U.S. Supreme Court. Photos of the meeting in Senator Gillibrand’s Washington office are available here.

Following the meeting, Senator Gillibrand issued the following statement:

“Solicitor General Kagan is clearly an extremely brilliant and strong New York woman, who is not always focused on being right, but on getting it right. I know she would bring a greater degree of dialogue to a divided court.

“I think it is outrageous that some critics have expressed weariness about adding more women to the high court.  Not only does Solicitor General Kagan possess the intellect and accomplished résumé we need in a Supreme Court jurist, she has a warm and pragmatic approach to solving problems.

“In our first meeting together, we discussed her valuable qualifications and deep appreciation for precedent.  While it was clear that she would not pre-judge any case, we did touch on privacy issues that are most important to me and other major issues that the Supreme Court may wrestle with in the coming years.  She provided thoughtful analysis about how the Supreme Court operates and the possibility for greater consensus in the years to come.”