Washington, DC –
U.S. Senator Benjamin L. Cardin (D-MD), a member of the Senate Judiciary Committee, today chaired the nomination hearing for Solicitor General-designee Elena Kagan and Associate Attorney General-designee Thomas Perrelli, two of the key posts in the Justice Department.

“Filling these top posts swiftly will continue efforts to restore the morale and integrity of the Department of Justice, which has been abused over the last eight years,” said
Senator Cardin. “I was pleased that this Committee recently reported Attorney General Eric Holder’s nomination by a strong, bipartisan vote of 17 to 2, and that the full Senate overwhelmingly confirmed him shortly thereafter. My hope is that we will do the same for Kagan and Perrelli so they can be on the job quickly to support our new Attorney General.

“Perrelli has an impressive range of experience in both the private and public sectors, ranging from working for former Attorney General Janet Reno to handling complex civil litigation at a Washington law firm,” said Senator Cardin.

“Elena Kagan comes to this Committee with a wide range of experience, having served as the dean of Harvard Law School, a law professor, a senior official at the White House, a lawyer in private practice, and a legal clerk for Supreme Court Justice Thurgood Marshall.”

The Associate Attorney General is the number three position at the Department of Justice.  This official oversees a wide range of offices at the Justice Department, including the Civil Rights Division. The Solicitor General holds a unique position in government, with responsibility to the Supreme Court, executive branch, and Congress.  The office conducts all litigation on behalf of the United States in the Supreme Court, harmonizes the views of executive branch agencies, and defends laws duly enacted by Congress against constitutional challenges.