[IMG]http://www.theeca.com/newsletters/John_Paul_Stevens.jpg[/IMG]Soon-to-be 90-year old Supreme Court Justice John Paul Stevens will retire from the nation’s top court this summer.

Appointed by President Gerald Ford in 1975, Stevens is viewed as the leader of the court’s liberal bloc, but his retirement should not affect the makeup of SCOTUS, [URL=http://www.nytimes.com/aponline/us/AP-US-SupremeCourt-Stev.html]as AP writes[/URL], “… because Obama is certain to name a liberal-leaning replacement.”

AP cautioned, however, that, “... the new justice is not likely to be able to match Stevens' ability to marshal narrow majorities in big cases.”

Additionally:

The timing of his announcement leaves ample time for the White House to settle on a successor and Senate Democrats, who control 59 votes, to conduct confirmation hearings and a vote. Republicans have not ruled out an attempt to delay confirmation.

[URL=http://www.gamepolitics.com/2010/04/09/justice-stevens-retire]read more[/URL]

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