Sat Apr 3, 2010 7:58pm EDT
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Supreme Court Justice John Paul Stevens, a leader of the court's liberal wing, will decide soon whether to retire after 35 years on the court, two newspapers on Saturday quoted him as saying.
Stevens, 89, has hinted for weeks that retirement was at hand but has said he has not made up his mind. In interviews published in the New York Times and Washington Post, he discussed his possible retirement.
He plans to leave either this year or next, the Post reported, quoting Stevens as saying, "I will surely do it while he's still president," referring to Democratic President Barack Obama.
His retirement would allow Obama to make a second appointment to the court in a year, but it was not expected to change the court's ideological makeup. The Senate confirmed Obama's selection of appeals court judge Sonia Sotomayor for the high court last summer.
"I do have to fish or cut bait, just for my own personal peace of mind and also in fairness to the process. The president and the Senate need plenty of time to fill a vacancy," Stevens told the New York Times.
The White House already has begun preparing to choose Steven's successor, the Post reported. Stevens told the Post that Obama, who has taught constitutional law, is a "very competent president" to make choices for the Supreme Court -- perhaps the best "since Gerald Ford." Ford had nominated Stevens to the Supreme Court.
Rightardia comment: The right wing will go into a tailspin when Judge Stevens retires like it did when President Obama nominated Sonia Sotomayor.
Conservatives will try to prevent a new liberal judge from being seated on The Supremes as long as they can. Never mind the fact the the Democrats won the Presidency, the House and the Senate in 2008.
Update: Sen. John Kyl is already threatening to filibuster. He warned President Obama not to try nominating anyone "overly ideological" to replace Stevens, who is known as the leader of the liberal wing of the court. Kyl also doesn't like Justice Sotomayor because she is too outspoken.
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Supreme Court Justice John Paul Stevens, a leader of the court's liberal wing, will decide soon whether to retire after 35 years on the court, two newspapers on Saturday quoted him as saying.
Stevens, 89, has hinted for weeks that retirement was at hand but has said he has not made up his mind. In interviews published in the New York Times and Washington Post, he discussed his possible retirement.
He plans to leave either this year or next, the Post reported, quoting Stevens as saying, "I will surely do it while he's still president," referring to Democratic President Barack Obama.
His retirement would allow Obama to make a second appointment to the court in a year, but it was not expected to change the court's ideological makeup. The Senate confirmed Obama's selection of appeals court judge Sonia Sotomayor for the high court last summer.
"I do have to fish or cut bait, just for my own personal peace of mind and also in fairness to the process. The president and the Senate need plenty of time to fill a vacancy," Stevens told the New York Times.
The White House already has begun preparing to choose Steven's successor, the Post reported. Stevens told the Post that Obama, who has taught constitutional law, is a "very competent president" to make choices for the Supreme Court -- perhaps the best "since Gerald Ford." Ford had nominated Stevens to the Supreme Court.
Rightardia comment: The right wing will go into a tailspin when Judge Stevens retires like it did when President Obama nominated Sonia Sotomayor.
Conservatives will try to prevent a new liberal judge from being seated on The Supremes as long as they can. Never mind the fact the the Democrats won the Presidency, the House and the Senate in 2008.
Update: Sen. John Kyl is already threatening to filibuster. He warned President Obama not to try nominating anyone "overly ideological" to replace Stevens, who is known as the leader of the liberal wing of the court. Kyl also doesn't like Justice Sotomayor because she is too outspoken.
