Ranking Judiciary panel members send conflicting signals on Supreme Court nominee Elena Kagan

Leahy, Sessions, send competing messages on Kagan

WASHINGTON — The leaders of the Senate Judiciary Committee are urging Supreme Court nominee Elena Kagan to be open with lawmakers and the American people scrutinizing her qualifications for the high court bench.

But beyond that broad admonition, Democrat Patrick Leahy and Republican Jeff Sessions parted company.

Leahy, chairman of the panel, called Kagan eminently qualified. But he also said she should clearly state her judicial philosophy and “assure us of her judicial independence.”

Sessions, an Alabama Republican, charged that Kagan “has less real experience than any nominee” in 50 years. He charged that she broke the law in denying military recruiters access to students at Harvard Law School, where she served as dean.