Hunter College High School Alumna Kagan Nominated to Supreme Court

Hunter College Elementary and High School alumna Elena Kagan (HCES '71, HCHS '77) has been nominated by President Obama to be the 112th justice of the United States Supreme Court.

Kagan is the current U.S. Solicitor General, the former dean of Harvard Law School, and the first woman to have held either position. She graduated from Hunter High in 1977. In 2003, she received the Distinguished Alumni Award, which "in my family was better than getting the Nobel Prize," she said.

Kagan's ties with the Campus Schools run deep. Her late mother, Gloria, taught at Hunter Elementary for many years until her retirement in 1991, and her brother Irving teaches a subject at the high school that holds particular meaning to the solicitor general - constitutional law.

"Some of my favorite teachers were from the Social Studies Department, and I credit them with introducing me to American history, which today is one of my passions," said Kagan.

Senate confirmation hearings could begin as soon as next month.

"The Campus Schools and the entire Hunter College community take great pride in Solicitor General Kagan's extraordinary achievement. We wish her our sincere congratulations and the best of luck on the confirmation process," said Hunter President Jennifer J. Raab, who attended Hunter High School and Harvard Law School with Ms. Kagan.

Kagan has also been featured on NY1.com, The New York Times (article 1, article 2), The Wall Street Journal, and NPR.