Who's Behind That Senator at the Kagan Hearing?

While watching the [live stream](http://www.pbs.org/newshour/rundown/supremecourt/kagan.html) of the Elena Kagan confirmation hearings, the Rundown started asking "Who's sitting behind that Senator?" So we made a few calls to find out. What is it that they do? What messages are they checking on their PDAs, what notes are they passing to the member as Elena Kagan attempts to answer question after question. Here are a few of our finds that we will try to update throughout today, but if you are in the loop with the scoop- feel free to add information into the comments section of this post. **Sen. Patrick Leahy, (D) Vermont** **Chair, Senate Judiciary Committee** No Comment **Sen. Jeff Sessions, (R) Alabama** **Ranking Member, Senate Judiciary Committee** Danielle Cutrona, Chief Counsel for Nominations on the Committee's GOP Staff She received her law degree from Seton Hall University and is a former president of the Federalist Society's New Jersey Lawyers Chapter. Prior to assuming the role of Chief Counsel, Cutrona worked as Republican counsel for the committee. Bill Patton He is a retired litigation partner with the Ropes & Gray law firm in Boston. Patton received his law degree from Duke University. Brian Benczkowski, Committee's Minority Staff Director (glasses & goatee) **Sen. Herb Kohl, (D) Wisconsin** No Comment **Sen. Orrin Hatch, (R) Utah** No Comment **Sen. Dianne Feinstein, (D) California** No Comment **Sen. Chuck Grassley, (R) Iowa** Rita Lari, Chief Judiciary Counsel **Sen. Russ Feingold, (D) Wisconsin** No Comment **Sen. Jon Kyl, (R) Arizona** Stephen Higgins, Chief Counsel on the Judiciary Subcommittee on Terrorism and Homeland Security Higgins has a Law Degree from University of Maine Law School Ryan Meyers, Counsel on the Judiciary Subcommittee on Terrorism and Homeland Security Meyers received his Law Degree from University of Chicago Law School **Sen. Arlen Specter, (D) Pennsylvania** Hannibal Kemerer, Chief Counsel for Senate Judiciary Committee's Subcommittee on Crime and Drugs He advises the senator on criminal law, nominations, and oversight investigations of the DOJ. In 2007 and 2008, Kemerer was involved in the investigation of the forced resignations of nine U.S. Attorneys. Previously, Kemerer worked with the NAACP and also served as an associate at a Maryland law firm focusing on employment cases. He attended Arizona State University and later the George Washington University Law School. Matthew Wiener, Subcommittee's General Counsel Wiener previously worked in the staff of th U.S. House of Representatives Committee on the Judiciary. He's taught as an adjunt professor of law at Rutgers University School of Law. He attended Stanford Law School, where he worked for the Stanford Law Review. **Sen. Lindsey Graham, (R) South Carolina** No Comment **Sen. Chuck Schumer, (D) New York** No Comment **Sen. John Cornyn, (R) Texas** No Comment **Sen. Dick Durbin, (D) Illinois** No Comment **Sen. Tom Coburn, (R) Oklahoma** No Comment **Sen. Ben Cardin, (D) Maryland** Bill Van Horne, Chief Counsel for Judiciary Committee & Chief Counsel for Subcommittee on Terrorism and Homeland Security Danyelle Solomon, Sen. Cardin's Counsel for Judiciary Committee She attended University of Miami and The Dickinson School of Law **Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse, (D) Rhode Island** No Comment **Sen. Amy Klobuchar, (D) Minnesota** No Comment **Sen. Ted Kaufman, (D) Delaware** Geoff Moulton, Chief Counsel (wearing glases) He's on leave as an Associate Professor at Widener University's Law School. Moulton worked as first assistant U.S. Attorney in the Eastern District of Pennsylvania in 2001 and clerked for former Chief Justice William Rehnquist from 1985-1986. Ted Schroeder, Senior Counsel **Sen. Al Franken, (D) Minnesota** Sen. Franken is joined by his Chief Counsel, Alvaro Bedoya (blue tie & glasses) and Counsel, Shayna Strom. Bedoya attended Yale Law School where he was on the Law Review. Strom also attended Yale Law School and was a Rhodes Scholar.