Klobuchar, Franken react to Kagan nomination

Both U.S. senators Amy Klobuchar and Sen. Al Franken say Solicitor General Elena Kagan could provide important balance to the U.S. Supreme Court.

President Barack Obama Monday nominated Kagan to the high court. Kagan is a former Harvard Law School dean who now represents the U.S. government in court.

Klobuchar sits on the Senate Judiciary Committee, which will vet Kagan.

"I'd like to know how she sees the world, what were the most meaningful experiences in her life, how has she treated people she's worked with how [and] has she treated people she disagrees with," Klobuchar said on MPR's Morning Edition. "Does she listen to their viewpoints? I think that's what's going to be important to the committee members."

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Klobochar said Kagan could provide balance to the Supreme Court headed by conservative Chief Justice John Roberts.

"I have some concerns about the direction the court has been going and I see Elena Kagan as someone who will be a strong voice on that court who will be an intellectual equal to Justice Roberts," she said. "I think that will be very important and it will make for a better court."

Klobuchar said she isn't concerned that Kagan has never served as a judge.

U.S. Sen. Al Franken, who also serves on the Senate Judiciary Committee, said in a statement that one of Kagan's greatest strengths is that she is a nominee from outside the "judicial monastery."

"But just as it's important for Supreme Court justices to have a diversity of legal backgrounds, it's also thrilling to see the Court begin to reflect the reality of our diverse population," Franken said. "I'm pleased the President has chosen to nominate another woman to the Court, and one who has been confirmed for office by members of both political parties should be confirmed without unnecessary difficulty."

Franken said, as with the confirmation of Justice Sonya Sotomayor, he would be seeking the opinions of some of Minnesota's best legal minds before asking his questions.

Kagan would replace retiring Justice John Paul Stevens. She'd be the fourth woman to serve on the Supreme Court, and its youngest current member.