Kagan hearings set for June 28 as Dems mobilize support

Sen. Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.) announced a June 28 kickoff for hearings on Solicitor General Elena Kagan's nomination to the Supreme Court.

Leahy, the chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee, said that hearings on Kagan will begin the last week of June, right before lawmakers break for the Fourth of July recess.

Leahy and Sen. Jeff Sessions (R-Ala.), the ranking member of the committee, said they had requested records from Kagan's time working in the Clinton White House, too.

The request came as alumni of the Clinton administration held a conference call on Wednesday to praise Kagan's work during her time in that White House.

Former Chief of Staff John Podesta and other former top officials lauded Kagan's intellect and stressed her ability to work amicably with the GOP-controlled Congress at that time.

Also working to get behind Kagan on Wednesday was Organizing for America, President Barack Obama's political arm at the Democratic National Committee (DNC), which launched a "Kagan for Justice Action Center" on Wednesday. The action center provides resources on the president's pick for the Supreme Court in order to allow grassroots supporters to reach out on a local level, especially to media, to support Kagan's nomination.