Ed Whelan opposes Elena Kagan because she does not have enough judicial experience:
Whelan claim: Kagan is unqualified because she hasn’t been a judge
REALITY: Past justices had very little or no prior judicial experience before taking the bench. Dozens of Supreme Court justices had little or no judicial experience before taking the bench. William Rehnquist and Earl Warren — two of the past four chief justices — had never served as judges before being appointed. Both were nominated by Republican presidents. Former Chief Justice John Marshall, frequently referred to as the “great chief justice,” and former associate Justices Louis Brandeis and Felix Frankfurter also had no judicial experience at the time of their Supreme Court appointments. Justice Clarence Thomas had only been a judge for 16 months when he was nominated by then-President George H.W. Bush. Moreover, Republican Sen. Orrin Hatch (UT) has stated that “I have long believed that prior judicial experience is not a prerequisite for successful judicial service.”
Jane Hamsher finds that Whelan’s argument is persuasive:
“If I was in the Senate, I would vote no, because like Harriet Miers she doesn’t have the judicial experience.”
“Accepting Kagan just because people like Obama is wrong. That’s appropriate for American Idol, not the Supreme Court. Nobody knows what she stands for but him. It’s just a cult of personality with Obama. This is the Supreme Court.”
Bunning and Coburn are probably pissed they didn’t get to say no first. Plus- you people are cultists! Only free thinkers say no BEFORE the first hearing.