Page 17 - Consensus Builder News Today

Who argues for the white house before the supreme court. 50 years old, which would make her the youngest justice. if confirmed the court for first time would have three women among its nine members. not since william rehnquist has someone with zero experience as a judge been confirmed to the nations highest court. some critics see too big of an experience gap. the president sees something different. >> elena is respected and admired not just for her intellect and record of achievement but also f...

>> elenas respected and admired not just for her intellect and record of achievement, but also for her temperament. her openness to a broad array of viewpoints. her habit, to borrow a phrase from justice stevens, of understanding before disagreeing. her fair mindedness and skill as a consensus builder. >> i have felt blessed to represent the united states before the supreme court, to walk into the highest court in this country, when its deciding its most important cases. cases that have an impac...

Supreme court. the first woman in that position as well. she has won accolades from observers across the ideological spectrum for her well reasoned arguments and commanding presence. elena is respected not just for her intellect but her temperament, her openness to a broad array of viewpoints. her habit, to borrow a phrase from justice stevens, of understanding before disagreeing. her fair mindedness and skill as a consensus builder. these traits were evident during her tenure as dean. at a time...

From justice stevens of understanding before disagreeing, her fair mindedness and skill as a consensus builder. >> reporter: and that last point the president mentioned could be something that the white house tries to play up with conservatives in the senate, the president himself making the point that when she was at harvard law as dean there she actively recruited conservatives to the factually -- faculty, jane. jane: james rosen, thanks. jon: the obama administration blames a pakistani taliba...

Thought that elena kagan would be the presidents choice to fill the stevens seat. what led you to that conclusion? >> well, she politically looks a lot like barack obama. and presidents try to replicate themselves on the bench. most presidents do a very good job. theres a mythology out there that supreme court justices tend to surprise the president who appointed them. thats very rarely true. if you look at recent history, if you look at john roberts, samuel alito, appointed by president bush, s...

Strong protection of the constitution. thats the mark by which i think shell be judged. lets not just single out one sentence. lets look at her entire lifes work. gregg: when you ridicule the knowing that aborted baby and fetuses are innocent life, can you be a consensus builder? >> those are your words and not hers. i dont think that at all what she said. if you his to the people who step up and validate her and say how strongly they believe she is qualified. all her writings were before the ju...

The first woman in that position as well. and she is won accolades from observers across ideological spectrum for her well reasoned arguments and presence. elena is admired not just for her intellect and record of achievement but also her temperament, her openness to a broad array of viewpoints. her habit, to borrow a phrase from justice stevens, of understanding before disagreeing. her fair mindedness and skill as a consensus builder. these traits were particularly evident during her tenure as ...

Never having been a judge or on a panel of judges, what makes you believe she can emerge as a leader on the supreme court. they said when she was dean at harvard law school she brought in conservatives academics to balance out the faculty and worked with the faculty and was a con sillator and consensus builder and at the white house, working for the white house council office she worked through details of legislative issues, among them antitobacco legislation and won respect of senate republican...

Spectrum, for her commanding presence and shes admired for her intellect and record of achievement and also her temperament an openness to a broad array of viewpoints. her habit, to borrow a phrase from justice stevens, of understanding before disagreeing. her fair mindedness, and, skill as a consensus-builder and these traits were evident during her tenure as dean at a time when many believe harvard faculty had gotten one-sided in its viewpoint, she sought to recruit prominent conservative scho...

But she has not been a person who has been outspoken on the issues that we really associate with the supreme court. >> thats a tough call, isnt it, jeff, because on one hand, if you are outspoken about these issues, it comes back to bite you in the ankle when youre getting appointed to the supreme court. on the other hand, if you havent written and been outspoken about them, everybody is worried about where youre going to come down on some of these issues. >> thats true. and elena kagan seems to...