Supreme Court Justice Eyes Retirement
According to a new report from CNN, Supreme Court Justice John Paul Stevens is considering whether or not he will retire at the end of this session. Stevens, who is almost 90 years old, has served on the court for 35 years, but may decide to wait around for one more year to give president Obama and Congress enough time to select and confirm a successor.
This retirement is particularly significant because it would give president Obama the opportunity to appoint a second Supreme Court Justice, appointments that will continue to affect public policy long after he leaves office. Obama secured his first appointment, Sonia Sotomayor, in August of 2009, although not without a fight. At the time, Sotomayor came under heavy fire for her comments about “wise Latina [women]”, which many Republicans attacked as a form of reverse racism.
What’s more, conservatives are likely to put up another struggle for Obama’s next appointment, whoever it may be. In the wake of recent partisan divides, and keeping an eye to the upcoming 2010 elections, Republicans will almost certainly do everything in their power to scrutinize and delay any appointments that may be made in the next year.
Stevens is expected to announce his decision around the end of the oral arguments period on April 28th.