Senate Judiciary Committee Advances Kagan's Nomination with Lindsey Graham Voting in Favor

NY Times: Senate Panel Backs Kagan Nomination, With One Republican Vote, by Sheryl Gay Stolberg:

Solicitor General Elena Kagan moved one step closer to becoming a Supreme Court justice on Tuesday when the Senate Judiciary Committee voted 13 to 6, almost entirely along party lines, to forward her nomination to the full Senate for consideration.

Just one Republican, Senator Lindsey Graham of South Carolina, broke ranks with his party to back Ms. Kagan. His lengthy speech supporting her led to debate about the Senate’s increasingly partisan approach to judicial confirmations, as he took colleagues — including President Obama when he was a senator — to task for basing their votes on philosophy, rather than qualifications and character. . . .