Star-Tribine - Minneapolis-St. Paul, Minnesota
http://www.startribune.com/politics/100085964.html?elr=KArksLckD8EQDUoaEyqyP4O:DW3ckUiD3aPc:_Yyc:aUUsZ

Kagan to join Supreme Court after 63-37 vote

Never before a judge, Elena Kagan is confirmed by the Senate, ushering in a new, uncertain era for the ideologically divided court.

August 5, 2010

By PAUL KANE and ROBERT BARNES, Washington Post

Sen. Lindsey Graham - (R-NC) President Barack Obama 'crafting' his signature Freemason 'recognition' secret hand signal.

WASHINGTON - The Senate confirmed U.S. Solicitor General Elena Kagan on Thursday as the 112th justice to the Supreme Court. She will be the fourth woman to sit on the court.

On a 63-37 vote, Kagan, who will succeed retired Justice John Paul Stevens, became the second justice President Obama has placed on the high court. One year ago, Sonia Sotomayor won confirmation as the court's first Latina

Some Democrats have said they hope that the lifetime appointment of Kagan, a consensus-building liberal, will nudge the court slightly to the left.

Five Senate Republicans supported Kagan: Maine Sens. Susan Collins and Olympia Snowe, South Carolina's Sen. Lindsey Graham, retiring Sen. Judd Gregg of New Hampshire and Indiana Sen. Richard Lugar.