Changing the Courts?

David S. Broder of the Washington Post published an article Wednesday, July 21, claiming that the addition of Elena Kagan to the Supreme Court is going to cause significant changes to the Court's functioning. The article, written in an obviously negative and pessimistic tone, likens the addition of Kagan to the Court to the integration of women into the journalism business. This is the time he believes the "realm of privacy" began its decline. In my opinion, the addition of a third female Justice will help give balance to the Court. I do not believe for a second that Kagan will contribute to the demise of the integrity of the Supreme Court, as Broder seems to suggest. On the contrary, providing a more well-rounded Court will help ensure that the American population is more accurately represented on the Supreme Court. Women make up half the population of the United States - why should they be represented by nine men? Just as Sotomayor gave a voice to the Hispanic population, so, too, will Kagan help to give a voice to women. Rather than bringing down the Court, Kagan will help achieve a balance to make sure the American people are fairly and equally represented by the Supreme Court Justices.