The National Association of Women Lawyers (NAWL)®has called upon numerous presidents to increase the representation of women in the federal judiciary, and has urged President Obama to nominate qualified women to serve on the Supreme Court.
NAWL therefore commends President Obama for his nomination of Solicitor General Elena Kagan to fill the vacancy on the Court occasioned by the recent announcement of Associate Justice Stevens' retirement.
The Solicitor General has a distinguished career as a lawyer, constitutional scholar and public servant. It was in recognition of her many achievements in the law that NAWL presented Elena Kagan with its highest recognition - the Arabella Babb Mansfield award - at its Annual Meeting in 2008.
NAWL's Committee for Evaluation of Supreme Court Nominees applied the same careful and thoughtful screening techniques to consideration of Solicitor General Kagan's qualifications to serve on the nation's highest court as it did to the nominations of Justices Roberts, Alito and Sotomayor. NAWL representatives testified at Justice Sotomayor's confirmation hearings before the Senate Judiciary Committee and shall submit a report of its evaluation of the Solicitor General to the Senate Committee.