Supreme Court Justice John Paul Stevens retiring

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WASHINGTON — Supreme Court Justice John Paul Stevens, the court's oldest member and leader of its liberal bloc, says he is retiring. President Barack Obama now has his second high court opening to fill.

Stevens says he will step down when the court finishes its work for the summer in late June or early July.

His announcement Friday in Washington had been hinted at for months. It comes 11 days before his 90th birthday.

http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/ap/top/all/6951307.html

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Are there any names floating around yet?

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Are there any names floating around yet?

http://www.thenation.com/slideshow/20100419/supremecourt2_slideshow/2

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Bye.

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http://www.thenation...rt2_slideshow/2

Harold Koh sounds like a winner.

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Harold Koh sounds like a winner.

The WSJ sure likes him a lot.

In a speech to the American Society of International Law, State Department Legal Advisor Harold Koh presented a broad assertion of the U.S. right to pursue and kill terrorists overseas, on or off an active battlefield.

In laying out the legal argument for the strikes, the former Yale Law School dean was, to put it mildly, meticulous, even fastidious. He said the Administration's practice of targeting terrorists complies fully with the laws of war. As a matter of domestic law, he explained, Congress authorized the use of force after September 11, 2001. As a matter of international law, the country has been at war with al Qaeda and the Taliban since that same day and has every right to exercise its "inherent right of self defense," including strikes against terrorist leaders.

Contrary to those who claim targeting a particular person represents unlawful extrajudicial killing or violates the law of war, Mr. Koh said, "individuals who are part of such an armed group are belligerents and, therefore, lawful targets under international law."

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Two things I had not known, and learned when they were mentioned in the wake of Stevens' announcement.

1. Stevens is currently the only Protestant on the court. There are 2 Jews and 6 Catholics. If a Protestant is not appointed, it would be the first time in American history that the US does not have a Protestant on the court. A first for a nation with a majority Protestant population. http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=125641988

2. Stevens is the only serving Justice who is a veteran of the Armed Services. He served in the Navy in WWII. Apparently it is this background which led him to his belief that flag burning is NOT a constitutionally protected act of Free Speech.

Day by day, retirement by retirement, moderate centrists who seek to bridge the ideological divide are removing themselves from the public sphere. In one day, Bart Stupak and JP Stevens announced they will step down. One (Stupak), an economically-liberal but socially conservative Democrat. The other (Stevens), a moderate Republican nominated by a Republican president and hailed at the time (1975) as a centrist. The polarized ideological divide strengthens to the extremes, the center is weakened. Sigh.

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1. Stevens is currently the only Protestant on the court. There are 2 Jews and 6 Catholics. If a Protestant is not appointed, it would be the first time in American history that the US does not have a Protestant on the court.

So they were right, Jews and Papists really are taking over this country

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So they were right, Jews and Papists really are taking over this country

It's a sinister plot, but we're well on our way.