U.S. President Barack Obama introduces Solicitor General Elena Kagan, right, as his choice for Supreme Court Justice in the East Room of the White House in Washington on Monday. (J. Scott Applewhite/Associated Press)

U.S. President Barack Obama has nominated Solicitor General Elena Kagan to the Supreme Court.

Kagan is slated to replace Justice John Paul Stevens, who will retire when the court finishes its work for the summer.

The Senate will determine whether Kagan, 50, will be confirmed as the successor to Stevens, who was appointed to the top court in 1975.

Obama announced his choice from the East Room of the White House, calling Kagan one of the country's top legal minds. He said she has a rich understanding of constitutional law, and understands how it affects ordinary people in a powerful way.

Obama, who worked with Kagan at the University of Chicago Law School in the 1990s, cited Kagan's "fair-mindedness" and her "skill as a consensus builder."

Kagan holds a bachelor's degree from Princeton, a master's degree from Oxford and a law degree from Harvard.

No experience on the bench

Kagan has never served as a judge, but she was the first female dean of Harvard Law School and the first woman to serve as the top Supreme Court lawyer for any administration.

In her current job, Kagan represents the federal government and defends acts of Congress before the Supreme Court. She also decides when to appeal lower court rulings.

If she's confirmed to the bench, Kagan would become the third woman on the nine-member court, joining Ruth Bader Ginsburg and Sonia Sotomayor, who was appointed to the top court last year.

Democrats dominate the Senate, but Republicans could try to stall Kagan's appointment with questions about her lack of judicial experience and other issues.

Republican Sen. Mitch McConnell said his party would make sure there was a "thorough process, not a rush to judgment" on the nomination.

Republicans are expected to question Kagan about her criticism of the military's "don't ask, don't tell" policy and her views on the death penalty and executive power.

One Republican senator, James Inhofe of Oklahoma, stated he would not support the nomination. He claimed Kagan has displayed "seeming contempt" for the Senate confirmation process and he said she had a "lack of impartiality when it comes to those who disagree with her position."

Democrats went 15 years without a Supreme Court appointment until Obama tapped federal appellate judge Sonia Sotomayor last year to replace retiring Justice David Souter.

With files from The Associated Press