Elena Kagan is all but certain to be confirmed as the newest U.S. Supreme Court justice, likely within a month. The votes of a small group of senators will largely determine the margin.
Among those whose position is unclear are the seven Republican senators who voted to confirm Kagan as solicitor general in March 2009, as well as those who voted to confirm Justice Sonia Sotomayor in August. The views of a pair of new Republican senators are unknown, while opposition to Kagan by the National Rifle Association is focusing attention on Democrats who favor gun rights.
