Elena Kagan Sworn in as Supreme Court Justice

(MSNBC.Com) Elena Kagan has been sworn in today as the 112th U.S. Supreme Court Justice and the fourth woman ever to serve on the nation's highest court.  Chief Justice John Roberts administered the oath to Kagan in a ceremony cermony at the court before her friends and family.  Kagan pledged in an oath to faithfully and impartially uphold the law.  We'll have to see that before we believe it.  The former Harvard Law School dean was most recently the U.S. Solicitor General.  President Obama chose her to succeed retiring Associate Justice John Paul Stevens, who was appointed by President Gerald Ford in 1975.  Stevens was the liberal leader of the Supreme Court upon retirement. 

She was confirmed by a Senate vote of 63-37 with 58 Democrats, the Independents, and five Republicans voting for her.  Senator Ben Nelson (D-NE), voted against her.  The five Republicans that voted for Kagan were Lindsey Graham, Richard Lugar, Judd Gregg, Olympia Snowe, and Susan Collins.  Kagan's Republican opponents, including Jeff Sessions of Alabama, deemed the nominee as too liberal.  He and others also objected to actions Kagan took as Harvard law dean in the mid-2000's to restrict military recruiters because of the policy known as "Don't ask, don't tell" against openly gay soldiers.  She was opposed to that policy.  Kagan's confirmation supposedly isn't likely to change the ideological cast of the court since the justice she replaced was very liberal himself.  As the makeup of the court stands, four are conservative, four are liberal, and one is a swing vote.  However, with her progressive views, she will try to make the Supreme Court an activist court.  What disturbs me is that none of the Republicans either in committee nor on the full Senate floor made any attempt to filibuster her nomination.  The Republicans will filibuster a jobless benefits bill or a financial reform bill, but they wouldn't make any attempt to filibuster her.  She has very progressive views concerning law and she'll be very activist on the Supreme Court.  The Republicans are worthless.

Kagan's duties on the Supreme Court won't officially begin until October 1, but she can now begin her duties reviewing cases, etc.  She was be sworn in on October 1 with a formal courtroom ceremony.