Washington, DC – Senator Jim Risch announced today he will vote against the confirmation of Solicitor General Elena Kagan to the Supreme Court of the United States. Risch said his vote against Kagan’s nomination is based on several issues.

“It should come as no surprise I oppose Elena Kagan’s nomination to the Supreme Court since I opposed her nomination as Solicitor General in the Obama Administration. Nothing has changed. Her actions and comments lead me to believe she will approach the position of Associate Justice as a political activist and decide issues based on the politics of the moment and not the Constitution.

“At Harvard University she barred military recruiters from the law school campus. Her view of the Second Amendment troubles me greatly as has her work to diminish this fundamental right. Further, as an advisor to President Clinton, Ms. Kagan led efforts to keep the practice of partial birth abortion legal and advocated a position even further to the left of President Clinton.

“The role of a Supreme Court Justice is to be a fair and impartial advocate of the law and the U.S. Constitution. Sadly, at every point it is obvious that Ms. Kagan is unable to perform this role. She has no experience as a judge that allows me to review her judicial mindset, so only her political philosophy and body of work as a legal advisor and dean lead me to the conclusion I cannot support her nomination to the United States Supreme Court.”

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