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Sean Lengell

Sean Lengell was a staff writer for The Washington Times.

Articles by Sean Lengell

Kagan won’t criticize Roberts court

Supreme Court nominee Elena Kagan on Wednesday declined an invitation from Senate Democrats to portray the current high court as partisan, dismissing concerns that a spate of 5-4 decisions is eroding important legal precedents. Published June 30, 2010

Associated Press photographs Supreme Court nominee Elena Kagan testifies on Capitol Hill in Washington on Tuesday during her confirmation hearing before the Senate Judiciary Committee. Ms. Kagan answered a variety of questions thrown at her by Republican lawmakers.

Kagan sidesteps Republican punches

Republican senators Tuesday pressed Supreme Court nominee Elena Kagan repeatedly over concerns she would be an activist judge, with President Obama's pick defending her record on restricting military recruiters at Harvard, gun rights, the rights of individuals vs. corporations and her admiration for the late Justice Thurgood Marshall. Published June 29, 2010

ASSOCIATED PRESS Sen. Patrick J. Leahy swears in nominee Elena Kagan. "The Supreme Court is a wondrous institution. But the time I spent in the other branches of government remind me that it must also be a modest one - properly deferential to the decisions of the American people and their elected representatives," she said.

Kagan stands ground, stresses ‘impartiality’

Supreme Court nominee Elena Kagan on Monday pushed back at Republican accusations that she is liberal ideologue, telling Congress that if confirmed she would consider every case "impartially, modestly" and "in accordance of the law." Published June 28, 2010

Divisions on display as Kagan confirmation hearings begin

Supreme Court nominee Elena Kagan on Monday appeared before the Senate Judiciary Committee for the first of several scheduled days of testimony, as Democrats called her an independent moderate while Republicans portrayed her as liberal ideologue. Published June 28, 2010

Unions battle for public job benefits

Major clashes are breaking out between public-sector unions and state and local governments seeking to steady their wobbly books by scaling back employee benefits, pitting labor's political clout against lawmakers eager to avoid raising taxes or cutting programs. Published June 27, 2010

House passes campaign bill

A first push by congressional Democrats to counter a Supreme Court decision allowing business and labor groups to spend freely in political campaigns cleared a big hurdle Thursday, as the House narrowly passed legislation that calls for stricter campaign finance disclosures. Published June 24, 2010

Geithner: TARP on track to end on time

Banks bailed out by the federal government have returned about 75 percent of the money, and the program eventually will generate a positive return to taxpayers, Treasury Secretary Timothy F. Geithner told a government watchdog panel Tuesday. Published June 22, 2010

Geithner: Bank bailout buys taxpayer gains

Banks bailed out by the federal government have returned about 75 percent of the money, and the program eventually will generate a positive return to taxpayers, Treasury Secretary Timothy F. Geithner told an oversight panel Tuesday. Published June 22, 2010

Emanuel contends GOP sympathetic to BP

White House Chief of Staff Rahm Emanuel on Sunday portrayed Republicans as sympathetic to BP, saying that a House Republican's controversial apology to the oil giant is emblematic of the party's views. Published June 20, 2010

White House: Afghanistan withdrawal deadline firm

The Obama administration has reaffirmed its promise to begin withdrawing troops from Afghanistan by July 2011, distancing itself from recent Pentagon comments that the move could take longer. Published June 20, 2010

Texan retreats from BP ‘shakedown’ charge

A Republican lawmaker accused the Obama administration Thursday of extortion after it secured a $20 billion compensation fund from the BP oil company for victims of the Gulf of Mexico oil spill. Published June 17, 2010

BP CEO Tony Hayward prepares to testify on Capitol Hill in Washington, Thursday, June 17, 2010, before the House Oversight and Investigations subcommittee hearing on "the role of BP in the Deepwater Horizon Explosion and oil spill. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon)

BP head faces heat, sympathy at hearing

BP's top executive told Congress on Thursday that he was "deeply sorry" for his company's massive oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico, although he said it could take until August to stop the gusher of oil that has caused devastating economic and environmental damage. Published June 17, 2010

Liberals assail NRA exemption in campaign bill

Fearful their first push to counter a Supreme Court decision allowing business and union spending in political campaigns wouldn't otherwise pass, Democrats might exempt the National Rifle Association from legislation requiring tougher disclosures of election ads. Published June 16, 2010

Petraeus hedges on Afghanistan withdrawal

Gen. David H. Petraeus on Tuesday softened Obama administration rhetoric that a U.S. troop withdrawal from Afghanistan would begin in July 2011, telling a Capitol Hill panel that such a move would be "based on conditions." Published June 15, 2010

Associated Press Arkansas Lt. Gov. Bill Halter pauses during his concession speech Tuesday night in Little Rock, Ark., after losing the Democratic senatorial nomination despite significant union backing.

Despite loss in Arkansas, labor calls money well-spent

Labor groups dismissed notions that millions of dollars spent on a failed Senate campaign in Arkansas was a waste of money, saying that a narrow defeat in a state often hostile to unions was an impressive show of strength. Published June 9, 2010

VICTORIOUS INCUMBENT: Two-term Sen. Blanche Lincoln, Arkansas Democrat, greets supporters Tuesday with her husband Steve (left). She beat Lt. Gov. Bill Halter to avoid becoming the third sitting senator this year to be denied renomination. (Associated Press)

Lincoln wins in Arkansas squeaker

Embattled Arkansas Democratic Sen. Blanche Lincoln eked out a victory against Lt. Gov. Bill Halter in their runoff election Tuesday, overcoming an anti-incumbent tide in one of several high-profile elections that could change the partisan landscape in Congress and state capitals from coast to coast come November. Published June 8, 2010

Sen. Lisa Murkowski, Alaska Republican, has proposed overturning EPA rules designed to reduce greenhouse-gas emissions. She says the rules threaten her state's economy. (Associated Press)

Bid to curb EPA’s regulatory clout on climate nears Senate showdown

The Obama administration's key backup weapon in the climate-change debate faces a critical test as the Senate votes Thursday on whether the Environmental Protection Agency should have the power to impose new regulations to attack global warming even if Congress fails to act. Published June 8, 2010