Kagan Confirmed, 63-37
The Senate today confirmed Solicitor Gen. Elena Kagan for a lifetime seat on the SCOTUS mostly along partisan lines. Kagan received 63 votes in favor of her confirmation, while 37 sens. voted against her.
The margin by which Kagan was confirmed was more narrow than the vote margin for Sonia Sotomayor 364 days ago. The vote on Sotomayor was 68-31; late Sen. Ted Kennedy (D-MA) did not vote due to illness.
Kagan earned five GOP supporters -- Sens. Susan Collins (ME), Lindsey Graham (SC), Judd Gregg (NH), Dick Lugar (IN) and Olympia Snowe (ME). None of the five is facing re-election this year. Gregg is retiring at the end of this year. Lugar and Snowe are up in '12, while Collins and Graham do not have to stand for re-election until '14.
One Dem, Sen. Ben Nelson (D-NE), voted against Kagan. Nelson faces re-election in '12, and his votes on major Dem initiatives -- health care, stimulus, financial regulation -- make him a major GOP target next cycle.
All other sens. voted along party lines. The final count appears after the jump.
YES VOTES: 63
Akaka (D-HI)
Baucus (D-MT)
Bayh (D-IN)
Begich (D-AK)
Bennet (D-CO)
Bingaman (D-NM)
Boxer (D-CA)
Brown (D-OH)
Burris (D-IL)
Cantwell (D-WA)
Cardin (D-MD)
Carper (D-DE)
Casey (D-PA)
Collins (R-ME)
Conrad (D-ND)
Dodd (D-CT)
Dorgan (D-ND)
Durbin (D-IL)
Feingold (D-WI)
Feinstein (D-CA)
Franken (D-MN)
Gillibrand (D-NY)
Goodwin (D-WV)
Graham (R-SC)
Gregg (R-NH)
Hagan (D-NC)
Harkin (D-IA)
Inouye (D-HI)
Johnson (D-SD)
Kaufman (D-DE)
Kerry (D-MA)
Klobuchar (D-MN)
Kohl (D-WI)
Landrieu (D-LA)
Lautenberg (D-NJ)
Leahy (D-VT)
Levin (D-MI)
Lieberman (ID-CT)
Lincoln (D-AR)
Lugar (R-IN)
McCaskill (D-MO)
Menendez (D-NJ)
Merkley (D-OR)
Mikulski (D-MD)
Murray (D-WA)
Nelson (D-FL)
Pryor (D-AR)
Reed (D-RI)
Reid (D-NV)
Rockefeller (D-WV)
Sanders (I-VT)
Schumer (D-NY)
Shaheen (D-NH)
Snowe (R-ME)
Specter (D-PA)
Stabenow (D-MI)
Tester (D-MT)
Udall (D-CO)
Udall (D-NM)
Warner (D-VA)
Webb (D-VA)
Whitehouse (D-RI)
Wyden (D-OR)
NO VOTES: 37
Alexander (R-TN)
Barrasso (R-WY)
Bennett (R-UT)
Bond (R-MO)
Brown (R-MA)
Brownback (R-KS)
Bunning (R-KY)
Burr (R-NC)
Chambliss (R-GA)
Coburn (R-OK)
Cochran (R-MS)
Corker (R-TN)
Cornyn (R-TX)
Crapo (R-ID)
DeMint (R-SC)
Ensign (R-NV)
Enzi (R-WY)
Grassley (R-IA)
Hatch (R-UT)
Hutchison (R-TX)
Inhofe (R-OK)
Isakson (R-GA)
Johanns (R-NE)
Kyl (R-AZ)
LeMieux (R-FL)
McCain (R-AZ)
McConnell (R-KY)
Murkowski (R-AK)
Nelson (D-NE)
Risch (R-ID)
Roberts (R-KS)
Sessions (R-AL)
Shelby (R-AL)
Thune (R-SD)
Vitter (R-LA)
Voinovich (R-OH)
Wicker (R-MS)
I am heartsick that Lugar of Indiana voted yes for Kagan. I hope he reads this. Kagan is seriously biased - she only has a personal AGENDA - she does not have an objective, logical mindset.
Now I see that Lugar is no different than Kagan except he hides his real self better. I voted and supported him for years, but I'll never support him again. Now I know how letdown those disappointed Obama voters feel.
Oh, joy! Now there are THREE communitarian activist demfems on SCOTUS.
Ginsberg,Sotomayor and Kagen!
Welcome to the face of 2010 America!
Who would have 'thunk' it?