SERVING MINNEAPOLIS / ST. PAUL / MINNESOTA
Donate Now Sustaining Member

MinnPost thanks these major sponsors:




Sponsor of
Second Opinion


Sponsor of
Community Sketchbook


Our major advertisers


Our in-kind partners

Search Engine Marketing

MinnPost thanks these generous donors:

INDIVIDUALS AND FOUNDATI0NS
Blandin Foundation
Otto Bremer Foundation
Bush Foundation
Sage & John Cowles
David & Vicki Cox
Toby & Mae Dayton
Jack & Claire Dempsey
Ethics and Excellence in Journalism Foundation
Sam & Stacey Heins
John S. and James L. Knight Foundation
Joel & Laurie Kramer
Lee Lynch & Terry Saario
Martin & Brown Foundation
The McKnight Foundation
The Minneapolis Foundation
The Saint Paul Foundation
Rebecca & Mark Shavlik

(See all donors here.)

D.C. Dispatches by Derek Wallbank

  • Switch to Small Text Size
  • Switch to Medium Text Size
  • Switch to Large Text Size
Email Print Submit a Comment

    Franken confirms he'll back Kagan

    By Derek Wallbank | Published Tue, Jul 6 2010 10:52 am

    WASHINGTON — Sen. Al Franken will vote to confirm Solicitor General Elena Kagan to the Supreme Court, he confirmed today.

    Speaking with reporters via phone from Hanoi, Vietnam, Franken confirmed what had been widely expected.

    "Oh, I'm going to vote for Elena Kagan, yes," Franken said.

    Franken had said that he'd wait until Kagan's confirmation hearings had concluded to make a formal decision. Sen. Amy Klobuchar, who set exactly the same timeline for her vote, has not yet officially confirmed that she'll back Kagan but is widely expected to as well.

    The goal is for Kagan to clear committee and secure an eventual confirmation vote by August 6, the last day before the Senate takes its month-long August recess break. The largest obstacle remaining for Kagan to be confirmed appears to be a set of 60-vote procedural hurdles in the full Senate.

    The guess from D.C. is that she'll get somewhere between 60 and 70 votes — and for what it's worth I set the over/under at 64.

    Washington Bureau | Tue, Jul 6 2010 10:52 am | 1 Comment

    Like what you just read? Support high-quality journalism in Minnesota by becoming a member of MinnPost.

    Advertisement:

    1 Comment: Hide/Show Comment

    E-mail address

    Password

     

    Forgot Password? | Register to Comment

    MinnPost does not permit the use of foul language, personal attacks or the use of language that may be libelous or interpreted as inciting hate or sexual harassment. User comments are reviewed by moderators to ensure that comments meet these standards and adhere to MinnPost's terms of use and privacy policy.

    We intend for this area to be used by our readers as a place for civil, thought-provoking and high-quality public discussion. In order to achieve this, MinnPost requires that all commenters register and post comments with their actual names and place of residence. Register here to comment.

    Illustration by Hugh Bennewitz

    minnpost.com/derekwallbank


    Derek Wallbank is MinnPost's Washington, D.C., correspondent, covering Minnesota's congressional delegation and reporting on developments out of Washington that are important to Minnesota readers. After graduating from Michigan State University, he covered Michigan politics for the Gongwer News Service, a publication aimed at political insiders. Later he became a reporter for the Lansing State Journal, writing about education and politics and founding the Journal's respected politics blog. Most recently he was a researcher and reporter with Congressional Quarterly in Washington, D.C. He can be reached at dwallbank[at]minnpost[dot]com.

    More dispatches by Derek Wallbank