Legal Commentary

Reactions To Justice Stevens' Retirement

By Big Tent Democrat

Senator Pat Leahy, Judiciary Committee Chair:

When the Supreme Court recesses on Justice Stevens’ final day on the bench, it will mark the end of an extraordinary judicial career spanning four decades, including 35 years on our highest court.

The last Justice from “the Greatest Generation,” John Paul Stevens first answered the call to service when he joined the Navy during World War II. Our nation called on him again years later, and he returned to public service as an appellate judge before accepting President Ford’s nomination to serve on the Supreme Court. He has since become one of the longest serving Justices on the Court. His confirmation was the first of a dozen Supreme Court nominations I have considered in my years in the Senate. As a young, freshman senator, it was a privilege to support his confirmation in 1975.

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Justice Stevens’ unique and enduring perspective is irreplaceable; his stalwart adherence to the rule of law is unparalleled. The federal judiciary, and indeed the entire nation, will miss his principled jurisprudence. While it is with a heavy heart, I wish him the best in his retirement.

As we move forward with preparations for the second Supreme Court nomination of this Congress, I am reminded of the Vermont marble inscribed above the entrance of the Supreme Court which pledges “Equal Justice Under Law.” I hope that Senators on both sides of the aisle will make this process a thoughtful and civil discourse. I expect President Obama to continue his practice of consulting with members on both sides of the aisle as he considers this important nomination. The decisions of the Supreme Court are often made by only five individuals, but they impact the daily lives of each and every American. All Senators should strive to fulfill their constitutional duty of advise and consent, and give fair and thorough consideration to Justice Stevens’ successor.

From People For the American Way:

Today Justice John Paul Stevens announced that he will retire from the Supreme Court at the end of the term. Stevens, who was nominated to the Court in 1975 by President Gerald Ford, is the Court’s Senior Associate Justice.

Michael B. Keegan, President of People For the American Way, issued the following statement:

“Justice Stevens deserves our deepest thanks for his service to our country. In his years on the Court, he’s been a guardian of the rights and liberties of ordinary Americans, and shown a commitment to the core constitutional values that are the foundation of our democracy. In scores of decisions, he’s provided crucial leadership to the Court, most recently in his ringing dissent in Citizens United v. FEC, which struck down more than a century of settled law limiting corporate influence in elections.

“His retirement will give President Obama his second opportunity to nominate a jurist for our nation’s highest Court. I hope he will select someone who will continue Justice Stevens’s tradition of working to ensure that individuals receive the fair treatment that our Constitution guarantees. In recent years, the Court has given extraordinary preference to powerful interests at the expense of ordinary Americans. Justice Stevens was a bulwark against that trend. Our country’s next Justice must play a similar role.”

From the Constitutional Accountability Center:

Statement of Doug Kendall, President, Constitutional Accountability Center, on the Retirement of Justice John Paul Stevens and the President's Choice of a Successor

WASHINGTON, DC — Justice John Paul Stevens will be remembered as a towering figure in Supreme Court history and one our greatest Justices. Throughout his tenure on the Court, Justice Stevens has displayed a deep knowledge of, and respect for, the Constitution’s text and history, underscored this Term by his opinion last week for the Court in Padilla v. Kentucky, and his brilliant 90-page dissent in Citizens United v. Federal Election Commission. In the last decade he has gone toe to toe with Justice Antonin Scalia and the Court’s other conservatives over the meaning of our Nation’s charter, winning more battles than he has lost, and showing that the Constitution itself points to progressive outcomes. We thank Justice Stevens for his decades of exemplary public service, and for his enormous contributions to the country and the law.

The American people love the Constitution. They want Justices on the Supreme Court who will faithfully interpret the law and apply the text, history, and principles of the Constitution, including all of the Amendments ratified by “We the People” in the past 220 years. CAC urges President Obama to nominate a successor to Justice Stevens who deeply respects the Constitution’s text and history and will be vigilant in protecting constitutionally-secured individual rights, including liberty and equality. We can think of no better tribute to John Paul Stevens.

Full post as published by TalkLeft on April 09, 2010 (boomark / email).