Justice Stevens announces retirement

Noted leader of the Supreme Court’s liberals Justice John Paul Stevens announced his retirement today.

Justice Stevens’ 34-year career had been hinting about his retirement for weeks in interviews and private conversations, according to the New York Times.

The Chicago Tribune reporterd Justice Stevens’ wrote President Barack Obama a short letter, reading: “Having concluded that it would be in the best interests of the Court to have my successor appointed and confirmed well in advance of the commencement of the Court’s next term, I shall retire from active service.”

Justice at Stake issued a statement regarding Justice Stevens’ retirement, calling him “one of the best friends America’s courts ever had. During his final decade, he stood up for the principle that all courts should be fair, impartial and free from special interests.”

President Obama said he would move quickly to appoint a successor with ““an independent mind, a record of excellence and integrity, a fierce dedication to the rule of law and a keen understanding of how the law affects the lives of every day people.”

Three names top the president’s list: Diane P. Wood, an appeals court judge in Chicago and former colleague of Mr. Obama at the University of Chicago; Elena Kagan, a former dean of the Harvard Law School who is close to Mr. Obama and is now the United States solicitor general; and Merrick Garland, an appeals court judge in Washington. All three were interviewed by Obama when he chose Justice Sonia Sotomayor.

For a list of articles about Justice Steven’s retirement,  visit Justice at Stake’s website.