Kagan, Elena, 1960-

Elena Kagan grants the court a new perspective, based on her prowess with technology and pop culture. She was born in New York City, New York on April 28, 1960. As the daughter of an elementary school teacher and a housing attorney, she developed an interest in both academics and law at a very young age. Even as early as her high school yearbook, she is pictured dressed with a robe and gavel, accompanied by a quote from a Supreme Court justice. Kagan attended Hunter College High School and served as the president of the student government. In 1977, Kagan earned acceptance to Princeton University. She majored in history for the purpose of later attending law school and was also an editor of The Princetonian. She graduated summa cum laude in 1981, earning a fellowship from Princeton that enabled her to attend Worcester College in Oxford, England. There she earned her master’s degree in philosophy in 1983.

Kagan returned to the United States to attend Harvard Law School. Here, she utilized her past editing experience to rise to the position of supervising editor of the Harvard Law Review. Kagan excelled academically at Harvard as well, graduating magna cum laude in 1986. Post-graduation, Kagan clerked for Judge Abner Mikva at the U.S. Court of Appeals level. The following year, she clerked for United States Supreme Court Justice Thurgood Marshall. After a brief foray into election politics supporting presidential candidate Michael Dukakis, Kagan returned to work in the law as an associate at the private law firm Williams and Connolly.

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