The Mind of Elena Kagan

A conversation about the nominee with Supreme Court watcher Stuart Taylor

The response to President Obama's nomination of Elena Kagan to the Supreme Court has been as predictable as the choice itself. Kagan was the frontrunner for the job since before Justice Stevens announced he was stepping down, and the Washington interest groups have been wearing their battle fatigues since...well, they never actually take them off. So within minutes of the White House ceremony, the expected flurry of e-faxes and cable blather began.

Looking for some light amid all the heat, I asked Stuart Taylor to make the trek from the 4th floor of our Watergate home, where he writes for National Journal, to the 7th floor HQ of the Atlantic. Stuart, a Supreme Court expert who used to cover the justices for the New York Times and the author of a post here earlier today analyzing Kagan's views, talked about the nominee's record, why Justice Scalia "seems to have a jolly time with her," and the biggest misconception people have about the Court.