Senate confirmation hearings for Supreme Court nominee Elena Kagan begin today. But this news was overshadowed by the death this morning of Sen. Robert Byrd.
Takeaway Washington correspondent, Todd Zwillich looks at the record of Sen. Byrd and previews the Kagan hearings, along with Jamal Greene, associate professor of law at Columbia Law School and former law clerk for Justice Stevens.
By week's end, it is likely Elena Kagan will be confirmed, but Republicans are preparing to grill the Solicitor General on her past legal decisions and her liberal interpretation of the Constitution. Kagan is replacing Justice John Paul Stevens whose last day on the bench is Monday.
