What Senators Should Ask Elena Kagan

The process Elena Kagan once derided as a "vapid and hollow charade" gets under way tomorrow when the solicitor general appears before the Senate Judiciary Committee as President Obama's second Supreme Court nominee. "Instead of playing cat-and-mouse with the nominee about how she would rule in future cases, senators should think big," the Los Angeles Times editorial board counsels. Specific questions to ask:

• Is the high court more like an umpire or an empathetic decision-maker?

• Do accused terrorists have the same legal rights as other alleged criminals?
• Where does congressional authority end and Supreme Court authority begin?
• What role does and should race play in American jurisprudence?
• How does technology affect interpretation of the First Amendment?

To see the full list—Times editors are very curious—click here. (More Elena Kagan stories.)