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In a letter to President Barack Obama, Associate Supreme Court Justice John Paul Stevens, 89, announced his retirement at the end of this term, reports the New York Times.
According to the Times, Stevens is the leader of the court's liberal wing. His announcement sets up "a confirmation battle over his replacement that is virtually certain to dominate the political scene this summer."
Stevens joined the court in 1975 as the choice of Republican President Gerald Ford, and according to CNN senior legal analyst Jeffrey Toobin, became "an unexpected liberal -- someone who moved to the left as the court moved to the right" to become "the leader of the liberals on the court."
Toobin also noted some decisions Stevens is likely to be remembered for, including "striking down the Bush administration's treatment of detainees at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba" and writing the lead dissenting opinion for Bush v. Gore, the case that decided the 2000 presidential election.
Who will take Stevens' place on the bench? According to Sam Stein of the Huffington Post:
As it stands now, there is a short list of potential Stevens replacements, but administration aides won't say how many names are on it. Nevertheless, the White House is planning to take the strategy and lessons learned from the Sotomayor debate and apply them to the forthcoming confirmation battle.
Ken Rudin at NPR's Political Junkie blog runs down a shortlist that includes two women:
By all acounts, the short list of potential successors are Solicitor General Elena Kagan, who is 49, and federal appellate judges Merrick Garland (57) and Diane Wood (59). Kagan and Wood were runners-up last year to Sonia Sotomayor, named by Obama to replace the retiring David Souter.
Wood is seen as more liberal than Garland; Kagan's political leanings have not been determined. Stevens is a leader of the court's liberal wing.
Related Reading:
- For Decades, Stevens Molded High Court Rulings by Nina Totenberg at NPR
- How the White House Plans to Sell Its Next Nominee at the Huffington Post
- NARAL, NOW Make Demands for Next Justice at CNN
- A Timeline of Stevens' Career by the Associated Press
What do you think about who should replace Stevens?
