From Elena Kagan's opening statement:
The idea is engraved on the very face of the Supreme Court building: Equal Justice Under Law. It means that everyone who comes before the Court – regardless of wealth or power or station – receives the same process and the same protections. What this commands of judges is even-handedness and impartiality. What it promises is nothing less than a fair shake for every American.
http://www.whitehouse.gov/...
Link to Motherblog
From Senator Leahy's opening statement:
It is essential that judicial nominees understand that, as judges, they are not members of an administration. The courts are not subsidiaries of any political party or interest group, and our judges should not be partisans. That is why the Supreme Court’s intervention in the 2000 presidential election in Bush v. Gore was so jarring and wrong. That is why the Supreme Court’s recent decision in Citizens United, in which five conservative Justices rejected the Court’s own precedent, the bipartisan law enacted by Congress, and 100 years of legal developments in order to open the door for massive corporate spending on elections, was such a jolt to the system.
http://www.mcclatchydc.com/...
Senator Leahy's statement from May 12:
We have seen recently how a narrow, conservative majority of the Nation’s highest court has ignored congressional intent and the Court’s own precedent, overturning decades of law to limit protections for workers of all ages, curb access to courts, and muffle Americans’ voices in their Elections...
The American people will have the opportunity to see and hear Elena Kagan for themselves during our hearing. That is where Senators on both sides of the aisle will have the opportunity to raise questions. I expect that after reviewing her record and hearing from her during the Judiciary Committee’s hearing, Senators on both sides of the aisle and the American people will conclude that Elena Kagan is qualified to serve on the Nation’s highest court.