President Obama nominated Solicitor General Elena Kagan to the U.S. Supreme Court earlier today.

If confirmed, Kagan, 50, would be the court’s youngest member. It also would give the court three female justices for the first time in history.

Her presence on the court probably won’t have much immediate impact on the balance of power, given that she’s replacing liberal Justice John Paul Stevens. However, her relative youth could impact the direction of the court for decades.

The President called Kagan “one of the nation’s foremost legal minds” and “an acclaimed legal scholar.” Some Republicans have been less positive, questioning her experience (she has never served as a judge), relatively thin legal writing resume and decision-making while dean of Harvard Law School.

If all 41 Republicans band together, they could delay vote on Kagan’s confirmation with a filibuster. There’s no clear indication that they will do so, although it’s still early in the game. One hot button for some Republicans is the fact that Kagan attempted to bar military recruiters from Harvard. Republicans raised that issue during Kagan’s confirmation hearing last year for the Solicitor General post.

Stay tuned.