Will Supreme Court Nominee Elena Kagan Experience Sexist Attacks?

Today's news of President Obama nominating Solicitor General Elena Kagan to become the third woman on the U.S. Supreme Court should be celebrated. Kagan's confirmation would add another justice who supports women's reproductive health choices to the Court; as well as a historic number of women on the Bench.

In a year where women's health and female candidates have been thrown under the bus, Obama's pick of Kagan provides a much-needed breath of fresh air.

Yes, it's sad that we're still at a point where we celebrate the potential for women to fill just 30% of the seats in any major branch of government...however, we must push for progress. And so far, President Obama is 2 for 2 on Supreme Court nominees--choosing Sonia Sotomayor last year.

As it goes with any Supreme Court nomination process, we know to expect voracious efforts to discredit and attack a nominee's record and stance on issues. But after seeing the sexist arguments used against Sotomayor last year, we also know to brace for the worst when the nominee is a woman.

In fact, despite Sotomayor's historically extensive judicial experience, U.S. senators still managed to question her qualifications. So with Kagan, I can only expect the worst.

The media is already buzzing about how she may be criticized for never serving as a judge in the lower courts. However, as Media Matters reminds us, Justices John Marshall, William Rehnquist, and Earl Warren had never been judges before their appointments.

But I would bet dollars to donuts that Kagan will be raked over the coals and accused of lacking experience -- simply because she's a woman.

WCF monitored the sexist remarks against Sotomayor last year, and we will not stand idly by if Kagan endures any attacks because of her gender.