Elena Kagan

“There was a period of time where the court was in a better place, and the country was in a better place because the court was more balanced, and it was unclear whether the court could push through anybody’s program.”

Elena Kagan · said date not stated · reported 2026-10-22

Kagan, appointed by President Obama in 2010, argued the court was in a better position when there was greater ideological balance.

“race to the bottom.”

Elena Kagan · said date not stated · reported 2026-10-22

Kagan pointed to the Supreme Court's 2019 ruling in Rucho v. Common Cause as the beginning of what she called a race to the bottom.

“And the court had a kind of legitimacy. When the court has a legitimacy of that kind, it helps to create a stable country.”

Elena Kagan · said date not stated · reported 2026-10-22

Kagan said that when the court has legitimacy, it helps create a stable country.

“I do think in all these areas the court has blinded itself to the very deleterious effects of their rulings on how the political system works and has created a democracy that doesn’t work as well as it should.”

Elena Kagan · said date not stated · reported 2026-10-22

Kagan argued the court has blinded itself to the deleterious effects of its rulings on the political system.

“rights to voting equality.”

Elena Kagan · said date not stated · reported 2026-10-22

Kagan argued that the Rucho v. Common Cause decision deprived masses of citizens of their rights to voting equality.

“Nobody in America thought that the court was in the pocket of any one group or any one party,”

Elena Kagan · said date not stated · reported 2026-10-22

Kagan recalled a period when no one thought the court was in the pocket of any one group or party.

“The people of America look around this political system and think that all this money chasing all these political candidates is a nightmare,”

Elena Kagan · said date not stated · reported 2026-10-22

Kagan commented on public perception of money in politics following the court's ruling striking down federal limits on coordinated party spending.

“It’s why the president sometimes really has not very nice things to say about the court’s decisions and some of my colleagues,”

Elena Kagan · said date not stated · reported 2026-10-22

Kagan pushed back against the characterization that the conservative-leaning court simply rubber-stamped Trump's entire agenda, noting the president has criticized some rulings.

“Making what I think is, unfortunately, a too polarized country even more so,”

Elena Kagan · said date not stated · reported 2026-10-22

Kagan said gerrymandered maps are making an already polarized country even more so.

“Part of the reason why the court got it wrong was a kind of lack of the appropriate concern or understanding of the consequences of their decisions,”

Elena Kagan · said date not stated · reported 2026-10-22

Kagan criticized rulings from the previous term, saying the court lacked appropriate concern for the consequences of its decisions.

“driving people away from the center toward the wings, toward the extremes.”

Elena Kagan · said date not stated · reported 2026-10-22

Kagan suggested that the influx of gerrymandered maps is driving people away from the center toward the extremes.