17 July 2019

A Sad Passing

The news broke last night that retired Supreme Court Justice John Paul Stevens died earlier yesterday after having suffered a stroke on Monday (details here). He was 99.

Stevens sat on the court for thirty-five years and was one of its earliest champions of LGBT rights.

He was known as a great liberal but was nominated to the court by a Republican President, Gerald Ford. Stevens famously evolved leftward during his time on the court, although he began as a fairly progressive Republican, a species now that is all but non-existent.

Stevens continued to be outspoken about national affairs and politics after his retirement and was not above criticizing the current White House occupant. He also wrote three books in his retirement, the newest of which was published two months ago.

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