Latino League Unanimously Endorses Kagan

WASHINGTON - The National Board of Directors of the League of United Latin American Citizens has unanimously endorsed the nomination of Elena Kagan as Associate Justice of the U.S. Supreme Court and urged the Senate to confirm her before recessing at the end of this week.

“After a careful and thorough review of Elena Kagan's record, we have unanimously voted to endorse her nomination,” said LULAC National President Margaret Moran. “Elena Kagan has demonstrated a commitment to civil rights and protecting the rights of minorities and women throughout her career.”

As an example of Kagan’s likely judicial philosophy, board members pointed to Solicitor General Kagan’s recent filing of an amicus brief in a Fifth Circuit case, Fisher v. University of Texas which defended the constitutionality of the University of Texas’ affirmative action program.

Moran noted the historic opportunity that Kagan’s nomination presents. “Last summer we had the confirmation of the first Latina Supreme Court Justice, Sonia Sotomayor, and with the confirmation of Elena Kagan we will have three women justices on the Supreme Court for the first time.”

The LULAC Board noted that during Kagan’s tenure as Dean of the Harvard Law School she created several diversity programs that increased the number of Hispanic students from 4.6% of the entering class in the year she accepted the position to 6.4% in her final year. The number of Hispanic men in the entering class during her final year was 20, compared to an average of 14 in the previous six years; for Hispanic women, the number of entering law students increased from 12 to 19.

While at the Clinton White House, Kagan worked on strengthening hate crimes legislation and civil rights enforcement. Her admiration of Justice Marshall, for whom she clerked, indicates that as a Supreme Court Justice, Kagan is likely to follow his record of upholding the rights of women and ensuring equal treatment under the law.

“We look forward to actively supporting her nomination,” said Moran. “With an unparalleled ability to bring together people of different backgrounds and beliefs, she has earned praise across the political spectrum for her fair-mindedness, her insistence that all views deserve a respectful hearing, and her lifelong commitment to public service.”

The League of the United Latin American Citizens, the largest and oldest Latino membership organization in the country, advances the economic conditions, educational attainment, political influence, health, housing and civil rights of Hispanic Americans through community-based programs operating at more than 830 LULAC councils nationwide.