WASHINGTON — The retirement of John Paul Stevens, the Supreme Court’s leading liberal but a justice who also could find conservative allies, will set off an election-year political battle over President Barack Obama’s second high court pick.
Stevens said Friday he will step down when the court finishes its work for the summer in late June or early July. He said he hopes his successor will be confirmed “well in advance of the commencement of the court’s next term.” Obama hailed Stevens as an “impartial guardian of the law” and promised to move quickly to nominate a replacement.
“We cannot replace Justice Stevens’ experience or wisdom,” Obama said at the White House after returning from a nuclear treaty-signing trip to Prague. “I’ll seek someone in the coming weeks with similar qualities: an independent mind and record of excellence and integrity and fierce dedication to the rule of law and a keen understanding of how the law affects the daily lives of the American people. It will also be someone who, like Justice Stevens, knows in democracy powerful interests must not be allowed to drown out the voices of ordinary citizens.”