Possible nominee has admirers left, right

WASHINGTON, May 14 (UPI) -- Potential U.S. Supreme Court nominee, Solicitor General Elena Kagan, is known for bridging ideological divides and putting conservatives at ease, observers say.

Kagan, 49, is not widely known for legal writings and hasn't argued a case on federal court, but people who know her say Kagan's intellect, insight and personality would make her a successful jurist, the Los Angeles Times reported Thursday.

"She has an excellent chance, and she would be terrific," Harvard Law School Professor Laurence H. Tribe told the Times. "She has a masterful command of so many areas of law. And she's been vetted and recently confirmed. Her writing is not voluminous, which is also a plus."

Kagan's name has been mentioned as a possible replacement for retiring Justice David Souter.

"Of all the good people Obama is considering, Elena is the really outstanding one," said Harvard's Charles Fried, solicitor general for President Reagan. "It's clear where her heart is ... but she respects everyone and makes the conservatives feel comfortable."

Another person mentioned as a possible successor is California Supreme Court Justice Carlos Moreno, the only Democrat on the state's high court and who has a moderate-to-liberal record, the Times said.

Besides Moreno and Kagan, others said to be under consideration are judges Diane Wood from Chicago and Sonia Sotomayor from New York, Michigan Gov. Jennifer M. Granholm and Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano.