{"id":2629597,"date":"2026-07-14T12:28:00","date_gmt":"2026-07-14T16:28:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/elena-kagan-pays-tribute-to-untimely-passing-of-lindsey-graham\/"},"modified":"2026-07-14T12:30:12","modified_gmt":"2026-07-14T16:30:12","slug":"elena-kagan-pays-tribute-to-untimely-passing-of-lindsey-graham","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/elena-kagan-pays-tribute-to-untimely-passing-of-lindsey-graham\/","title":{"rendered":"Elena Kagan pays tribute to &#8216;untimely passing&#8217; of Lindsey Graham"},"content":{"rendered":"<aside class=\"mashsb-container mashsb-main mashsb-stretched\"><div class=\"mashsb-box\"><div class=\"mashsb-count mash-medium\" style=\"&quot;\"><div class=\"counts mashsbcount\">20<\/div><span class=\"mashsb-sharetext\">SHARES<\/span><\/div><div class=\"mashsb-buttons\"><a class=\"mashicon-facebook mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservativenewsdaily.net%2Fbreaking-news%2Felena-kagan-pays-tribute-to-untimely-passing-of-lindsey-graham%2F\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Facebook<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-twitter mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?text=&amp;url=https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=2629597&amp;via=ConservNewsDly\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Twitter<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-subscribe mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"#\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Subscribe<\/span><\/a><div class=\"onoffswitch2 mash-medium mashsb-noshadow\" style=\"display:none\"><\/div><\/div>\n            <\/div>\n                <div style=\"clear:both\"><\/div><\/aside>\n            <!-- Share buttons by mashshare.net - Version: 4.0.47--><p>Justice Elena Kagan began her testimony at a House Appropriations Committee hearing by honoring the late Senator Lindsey Graham, highlighting his support during her 2010 confirmation despite the rarity of bipartisan votes today. She recalled their long conversation before her confirmation hearing and shared a humorous exchange in which Graham asked her where she spent Christmas, to which she replied, \u201cprobably at a Chinese restaurant,\u201d referencing a well-known joke about Jewish traditions. Kagan expressed her gratitude for Graham\u2019s support and respect, noting his approach to the confirmation process. she also extended condolences to his family and friends, acknowledging his vibrant personality and the loss felt by many. Her appearance marked her first congressional testimony since 2019, and Justice Amy Coney Barrett also testified on the Supreme Court\u2019s budget, with the court&#8217;s term ending in June and resuming in October. The <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/watch-live-vice-president-jd-vance-speaks-at-munich-leaders-meeting\/\" title=\"WATCH LIVE: Vice President JD Vance speaks at Munich Leaders Meeting\">article includes recommended stories<\/a> on Supreme court topics and highlights the rarity of justices testifying before Congress in recent years.  <\/p>\n<p class=\"readmore\">\n    <button onclick=\"showReadMore()\" id=\"readmorebtn\">Read more&#8230;<\/button>\n<\/p>\n<hr id=\"line\">\n<span id=\"more\"><\/p>\n<article class=\"fn-body\">\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Justice <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/elena-kagan\/\" type=\"post_tag\" id=\"4303\">Elena Kagan<\/a> began her testimony at a <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/house-of-representatives\/\" type=\"post_tag\" id=\"93\">House<\/a> Appropriations Committee hearing on Tuesday by honoring late Sen. <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/lindsey-graham\/\" type=\"post_tag\" id=\"737\">Lindsey Graham<\/a> (R-SC), referencing a famous exchange during her 2010 confirmation hearing.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Kagan was testifying alongside Justice <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/amy-coney-barrett\/\" type=\"post_tag\" id=\"747\">Amy Coney Barrett<\/a> on the Supreme Court\u2019s roughly $228 million budget request for fiscal 2027, with much of the increase stemming from the growing security measures necessary to protect the justices. Before Kagan discussed the security concerns, however, she honored Graham, who died Saturday. Graham was one of five Republicans who voted to confirm Kagan in 2010, and she commended his willingness to vote for her confirmation.<\/p>\n<section class=\"explore-more-section\" id=\"wex-recommended-widget\">\n<div class=\"magazine-container single\">\n<h1 class=\"magazine-title mt-2\">Recommended Stories<\/h1>\n<p>             <i class=\"fa-solid fa-play icon\"><\/i>         <\/div>\n<div class=\"explore-grid\">\n<div class=\"explore-card\">                         <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/supreme-court\/4645663\/conservatives-congress-constitutional-amendment-supreme-court-nine-justices\/?itm_source=parsely-api\">                             <\/p>\n<div class=\"explore-thumb-wrap\">                                                                                                                                  <\/div>\n<h3>Conservatives urge Congress to pass constitutional amendment keeping Supreme Court at nine justices<\/h3>\n<p>                         <\/a>                     <\/div>\n<div class=\"explore-card\">                         <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/white-house\/4641535\/trump-rehearing-supreme-court-birthright-citizenship\/?itm_source=parsely-api\">                             <\/p>\n<div class=\"explore-thumb-wrap\">                                                                                                                                  <\/div>\n<h3>Trump demands rehearing after Supreme Court\u2019s \u2018insane\u2019 birthright citizenship ruling<\/h3>\n<p>                         <\/a>                     <\/div>\n<div class=\"explore-card\">                         <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/supreme-court\/4640423\/trump-seeks-block-e-jean-carroll-payout\/?itm_source=parsely-api\">                             <\/p>\n<div class=\"explore-thumb-wrap\">                                                                                                                                  <\/div>\n<h3>Trump seeks to block $5.8 million E. Jean Carroll payout pending second Supreme Court appeal<\/h3>\n<p>                         <\/a>                     <\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/section>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cI wish to express the entire court\u2019s condolences to his sister, the rest of his family, his many friends and colleagues here in the House, in the Senate, and elsewhere, on behalf of the entire court,\u201d Kagan said. \u201cBut I\u2019d also like to make a few more personal comments.\u201d<\/p>\n<div class=\"wex-inarticle-ad wex-inarticle-ad-art-dsk-inart-1\">\n<div class=\"wex-ad-wrap wex-ad-art-dsk-inart-1\" style=\"min-height:90px\"><span class=\"wex-ad-label\" hidden>Advertisement<\/span><\/p>\n<div id=\"div-gpt-ad-3182201-15\" data-wex-ad=\"art-dsk-inart-1\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"article-paywall\">\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Kagan then remarked on how rare it has become for Republican senators to vote for justices nominated by Democratic presidents, and vice versa, especially from a \u201cdeep red or deep blue state, and yet Sen. Graham voted for me.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cI vividly remember, because he was a vivid person, the conversation that we had in his office prior to my hearing, where he got to know me,\u201d Kagan said. \u201cIt was a long conversation. He took the opportunity to get to know me.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">She also noted how funny Graham was, referring to an exchange during her confirmation hearing in which Graham asked Kagan, who is Jewish, where she had been the previous Christmas. During the exchange, Kagan responded that \u201clike all Jews, I was probably at a Chinese restaurant.\u201d<\/p>\n<div class=\"wex-inarticle-ad wex-inarticle-ad-art-dsk-inart-2\">\n<div class=\"wex-ad-wrap wex-ad-art-dsk-inart-2\" style=\"min-height:90px\"><span class=\"wex-ad-label\" hidden>Advertisement<\/span><\/p>\n<div id=\"div-gpt-ad-3182201-16\" data-wex-ad=\"art-dsk-inart-2\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\">\n<p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">Here&#8217;s the 2010 exchange.<\/p>\n<p>Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-SC): &#8220;I just asked you where you&#8217;re at on Christmas.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>Kagan: &#8220;Like all Jews, I was probably at a Chinese restaurant.&#8221; <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/RBaKdFXxHQ\">pic.twitter.com\/RBaKdFXxHQ<\/a><\/p>\n<p>\u2014 CSPAN (@cspan) <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/x.com\/cspan\/status\/2077041299501232448?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">July 14, 2026<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p> <script data-cfasync=\"false\" src=\"http:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/cdn-cgi\/scripts\/5c5dd728\/cloudflare-static\/email-decode.min.js\"><\/script><script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.x.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script>    <\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">During her Tuesday testimony, Kagan said of that exchange that \u201csomehow, Sen. Graham made me look funny, which is a harder thing entirely.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cSo I want to express my gratitude towards him not only for his support but for approaching the confirmation process with the kind of seriousness that he did and the kind of respect he did,\u201d Kagan said. \u201cI never got to know Sen. Graham very well, but I can see why so many people will deeply miss him. And I just wanted to convey that on behalf of me, and again express the condolences of the entire court to his family and friends.\u201d<\/p>\n<div class=\"wex-inarticle-ad wex-inarticle-ad-art-dsk-inart-3\">\n<div class=\"wex-ad-wrap wex-ad-art-dsk-inart-3\" style=\"min-height:90px\"><span class=\"wex-ad-label\" hidden>Advertisement<\/span><\/p>\n<div id=\"div-gpt-ad-3182201-17\" data-wex-ad=\"art-dsk-inart-3\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong><a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/supreme-court\/4638877\/supreme-court-justices-elena-kagan-amy-coney-barrett-testify-capitol-hill\/\" type=\"post\" id=\"4638877\">SUPREME COURT JUSTICES KAGAN AND BARRETT TO TESTIFY ON CAPITOL HILL<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Justices testifying before Congress has become a rarity in recent years. The last time was in 2019, when the justices appeared before similar appropriations committees on the high court\u2019s annual budget request. Kagan\u2019s Tuesday appearance was her first before a congressional committee since 2019, while it was the first time Barrett appeared before a congressional committee since her confirmation hearing in 2020 in the Senate.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The Supreme Court term ended on June 30, with final opinions being released in cases involving bans on biological males in women\u2019s sports and President Donald Trump\u2019s birthright citizenship order. The high court will return for its next term in October, with that term set to continue through the end of June 2027.<\/p>\n<div class=\"wex-inarticle-ad wex-inarticle-ad-art-dsk-inart-4\">\n<div class=\"wex-ad-wrap wex-ad-art-dsk-inart-4\" style=\"min-height:90px\"><span class=\"wex-ad-label\" hidden>Advertisement<\/span><\/p>\n<div id=\"div-gpt-ad-3182201-25\" data-wex-ad=\"art-dsk-inart-4\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/article>\n<p><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Kagan honors Graham at House hearing, recalls 2010 exchange<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2638,"featured_media":2629598,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mo_disable_npp":"","fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/AP100518139876_1edf2e.jpg?w=696","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[33651],"tags":[82701,32283,32229,5894,9122],"class_list":["post-2629597","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-the-western-journal","tag-elena-kagan","tag-lindsey-graham","tag-obituary","tag-politics","tag-tribute"],"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/AP100518139876_1edf2e.jpg?w=696","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2629597","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2638"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2629597"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2629597\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2629601,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2629597\/revisions\/2629601"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2629598"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2629597"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2629597"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2629597"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}