If you are reading this then you know SCOTUS nominee Elena Kagan isn’t married. But most of America doesn’t read law blogs and can’t name any members of the Supreme Court. So an annoucement gets made, and what do people go looking for?
Thanks to Google and its auto-fill feature, we know. Type in Elena Kagan and see the potential fill-ins that provided by Google Trends. You can see my screenshot here, and it’s pretty clear thar personal details are important to Americans:
What does that mean for confirmation? I don’t know, though it seems that many in America have an interest in her marital status and personal life.
I know that her marital status isn’t something that I care about. I’d like to see a variety of personal experience on the court in general, but that goes to a variety of legal experience. I’d like to see some with judicial experience, some with academic and some with real-world experience representing individuals.
Many in America, it seems, have different curiosities about the nominee. And this type of interest may be a harbinger of things to come, not just from the usual homophobic nutjobs. While I couldn’t imagine any Senator having the nerve (or stupidity) to ask such personal questions during an actual hearing, this level of interest indicates to me that personal issues will percolate for some time.
And why is this? Because personal issues are a whole lot easier for Joe Sixpack to discuss than judicial philosophies and stare decisis. That’s just the way it is.
Update: I just noticed that when I start to type her name, after just the first two letters, that “Elena Kagan Husband” pops up in 6th place. Just above Elvis Presley. Which I know must be significant for something.
I think the speculation that Elena Kagen is a lesbian could get messy. Mother Jones has an article today predicting that the whisper campaign is going to prompt lawmakers to take an abnormal interest in her stance on gay rights issues during her confirmation. It will be interesting to see whether anyone brings up the issue head on…
Thanks for the post, as disturbing as the results are. I had not thought of the Google auto-fill angle on the story, and it’s revealing.
Of course it’s important because the Big Media will make a big to-do about it and there are enough “voters” to whom, rightly or not (pun intended), it will be important. And if it becomes any issue in her getting approved by the Senate, yes, it’s quite important.
I don’t remember any one making such a big deal out of David Souter being unmarried or speculating about his personal life. Fortunately for Sotomayor, she was married albeit briefly, or she’d have been held up to the same scrutiny. What a double standard. Like you, my concern about Elena Kagan is her lack of practice experience.
No one will beat the king which is Elvis Presley.’,*