Ruth Bader Ginsburg Supports Elena Kagan's Willingness To Look To Foreign Law For Good Ideas

WASHINGTON — Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg says judges can look to foreign law for good ideas without diminishing their ability to apply U.S. law faithfully.

Ginsburg told a meeting of international lawyers Friday that American judges can learn from their foreign counterparts when seeking solutions to "trying questions."

Ginsburg said high court nominee Elena Kagan got it right when she told senators at her confirmation hearing that she was in favor of good ideas "wherever you can get them."

Ginsburg acknowledged that other justices, including Antonin Scalia, are sharp critics of the use of foreign law in Supreme Court decisions. Still, she predicted the high court will continue to look to courts in other democracies for occasional help.