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John Paul Stevens
John Paul Stevens was an associate justice of the Supreme Court of the United States. Stevens was nominated to the Court by President Gerald Ford (R) in 1975 to succeed Justice William O. Douglas. He served on the court until his retirement on June 28, 2010, and he died on July 16, 2019.[1][2]
Stevens was the only justice nominated to the Supreme Court by President Ford. During his tenure, Stevens served during The Burger Court, The Rehnquist Court and The Roberts Court.[3]
Early life and education
Stevens was born on April 20, 1920, in Chicago, Illinois.
Stevens obtained his B.A. in English from the University of Chicago in 1941. With the end of World War II, Stevens enrolled in the Northwestern University School of Law in 1945. He received his J.D. in 1947.[1]
Military service
He began work on his master's degree in English at the university in 1941, but soon decided to join the United States Navy. He served as a Lieutenant Commander from 1942-1945, during World War II.[1]
Professional career
After law school, Stevens served as a clerk to Supreme Court Justice Wiley Rutledge. Next, Stevens joined the law firm of Poppenhusen, Johnston, Thompson & Raymond in Chicago. In 1951, he returned to Washington, D.C. to serve as Associate Counsel to the Subcommittee on the Study of Monopoly Power of the Judiciary Committee of the U.S. House of Representatives. At the age of 32, Stevens started a law firm with two other young lawyers. Called Rothschild, Stevens, Barry & Myers and based in Chicago, at this firm Stevens concentrated on antitrust cases. Due to his growing expertise in antitrust law, he was asked to teach the "Competition and Monopoly" course at the University of Chicago Law School. He also performed as a member of the Attorney General's National Committee to Study Antitrust Law.[1]
Federal judicial career
Supreme Court of the United States
Stevens was appointed to the Supreme Court of the United States by Gerald Ford on November 28, 1975, to replace Justice William O. Douglas. Stevens took his seat December 17, 1975, after being confirmed 98–0 by the Senate. He assumed senior status on June 30, 2010. He was succeeded to this post by Elena Kagan.
Retirement
Stevens' decision to hire only one law clerk for the term that began in October 2010 fueled speculation that he intended to retire. By that time in years past, Justice Stevens normally had hired four law clerks.[4][5][6]
On April 9, 2010, Judge Stevens announced that he would retire from the nation's highest court after the court's session ended in June.[7]
His letter to the President read:
My dear Mr. President:
Having concluded that it would be in the best interests of the Court to have my successor appointed and confirmed well in advance of the commencement of the Court's next Term, I shall retire from regular active service as an Associate Justice, under the provisions of 28 D.S.C. § 371(b), effective the next day after the Court rises for the summer recess this year.
Most respectfully yours,
John Paul Stevens[8]
Seventh Circuit
President Richard Nixon nominated Stevens to the United States Court of Appeals for the 7th Circuit on September 22, 1970, to fill the vacancy left by Elmer Schnackenberg. Stevens was confirmed on October 8, 1970, and received commission on October 14, 1970. He served in this capacity until President Gerald Ford nominated him as an Associate Justice of the Supreme Court. He was succeeded on the Seventh Circuit by Harlington Wood.
Noteworthy cases
| Details |
|---|
| Author: John Paul Stevens
Vote Count: 6-3 Majority Justices: Kennedy, Ginsburg, Souter, Breyer Concurring Justices: Scalia Dissenting Justices: O'Connor, Thomas, Rehnquist |
Gonzalez v. Raich (2005)
When the Compassionate Use Act was passed in California in 1996, it legalized marijuana use for medicinal purposes. However, it conflicted with the federal Controlled Substances Act (CSA). When the DEA seized medical marijuana from a home, a group of medical marijuana users sued the DEA and U.S. Attorney General John Ashcroft. When the case moved to the Supreme Court, the question of whether or not Congress could control the growing and distribution of medical marijuana under the Commerce Clause had to be answered. On June 6, 2005, the Court determined that the Commerce Clause did, in fact, prohibit states from making regulations regarding the distribution of medical marijuana.[9]
See also
- News: Retired Supreme Court justice weighs in on healthcare debate, October 7, 2011
- History of the Supreme Court
External links
- Biographies:
- Legal profiles:
- Financial information:
- Issue positions:
- Nomination:
- Works by or about:
- Media appearances:
- Media coverage:
- Supreme Court of the United States, "Stevens Biography" (PDF)
- Salon.com, "Stevens: Rationale for Bush v. Gore was "unacceptable," May 16, 2013
- ABA Journal, "Stevens Explains Death Penalty Stance, Bow Ties," May 6, 2010
- The Boston Globe, "Notable case opinions by John Paul Stevens," April 10, 2010
- Los Angeles Times, "Justice John Paul Stevens' point of view," April 10, 2010
- Usa Today "Supreme Court's Stevens keeps cards close to robe," October 17, 2009
- John Paul Stevens, Human Rights Judge, by Professor Diane Marie Amann
Footnotes
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 John Paul Stevens biography from the Federal Judicial Center
- ↑ Atlanta Journal-Constitution, "Retired Supreme Court Justice John Paul Stevens dies," July 16, 2019
- ↑ Federal judicial appointments by president
- ↑ Associated Press, "Justice Stevens slows his hiring at high court" September 2, 2009 (dead link)
- ↑ Los Angeles Times, "Speculation rises that Supreme Court Justice Stevens will retire," September 3, 2009
- ↑ San Francisco Chronicle, "One sign Justice Stevens may retire in 2010," September 3, 2009
- ↑ The Washington Post "Justice John Paul Stevens to retire from court in June," April 9, 2010
- ↑ Washington Post, "Justice Stevens letter to President Obama", April 9, 2010
- ↑ Oyez, Gonzalez v. Raich
| Political offices | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by: Elmer Schnackenberg |
Seventh Circuit Court of Appeals 1970–1975 |
Succeeded by: Harlington Wood |
| Preceded by: William Douglas |
Supreme Court 1975–2010 Seat #5 |
Succeeded by: Elena Kagan
|
| |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Active judges |
Chief Judge: Diane Sykes • Amy St. Eve • Frank Easterbrook • John Z. Lee (United States Court of Appeals judge) • Michael B. Brennan (Wisconsin) • Michael Scudder • Joshua Kolar • Doris Pryor • Thomas Kirsch • Candace Jackson-Akiwumi • Nancy Maldonado | ||
| Senior judges |
Diane Wood • Daniel Manion • Ilana Rovner • David Hamilton (Seventh Circuit) • Kenneth Ripple • William Bauer • | ||
| Former judges | John Paul Stevens • Ann Williams (Federal judge) • Julian William Mack • Terence Evans • Joel Flaum • Michael Kanne • Richard Posner • John Coffey (Seventh Circuit) • Jesse Eschbach • Walter Quintin Gresham • Richard Cudahy • Thomas Fairchild • Philip Tone • William Allen Woods • James Graham Jenkins (Wisconsin) • William Henry Seaman • John William Showalter • Peter Stenger Grosscup • Christian Cecil Kohlsaat • Albert Barnes Anderson (federal judge) • Francis Elisha Baker • Samuel Alschuler • Evan Alfred Evans • Louis FitzHenry • George True Page • Walter Lindley • William Morris Sparks • James Earl Major • Walter Treanor • Francis Duffy • Otto Kerner, Sr. • Otto Kerner, Jr. • Harlington Wood • Winfred Knoch • William Parkinson (Indiana) • Luther Swygert • Sherman Minton • Latham Castle • Walter Cummings • Philip Finnegan • John Hastings • Roger Kiley • Wilbur Pell • Elmer Schnackenberg • Robert Sprecher • Hardress Swaim • Amy Coney Barrett • | ||
| Former Chief judges |
Diane Wood • Joel Flaum • Richard Posner • William Bauer • Thomas Fairchild • William Morris Sparks • James Earl Major • Francis Duffy • Luther Swygert • Latham Castle • Walter Cummings • John Hastings • | ||
| |||
|---|---|---|---|
| 1969 |
Adams • Barlow • Battin • Brooks • Burger • Carswell • Clark • Garth • Gibbons • Goodwin • Hannum • Herman • Ingraham • Kilkenny • Lane • Levin • MacKinnon • McFadden • Middlebrooks • Parker • Robb • Trask • Widener • Wilkins • Williams • Wright | ||
| 1970 |
Becker • Blackmun • Bogue • Bratcher • Bue • Conti • Cox • Ditter • Dupree • Eisele • Engel • Fay • Feikens • Fisher • Frey • Gorbey • Hill • Huyett • Kelleher • Kennedy • Kent • King • Kitchen • Knapp • Knox • Krupansky • McCune • McGarr • McWilliams • Mechem • J. Miller • W. Miller • Morton • Moye • Muir • O'Kelley • Oakes • Pell • Pointer • Pratt • Roney • Rosenn • Ross • Schnacke • Scott • Stapleton • Steger • Stevens • Teitelbaum • Thompson • Tjoflat • Toledo • Turrentine • Urbom • VanArtsdalen • Walinski • Wallace • Wangelin • Webster • Weis • Wellford • Wilkey • Winner • Wood | ||
| 1971 |
Alaimo • Allen • A. Anderson • J. Anderson • Barrett • Bauer • Bauman • Benson • Blair • Blatt • Boe • Brieant • Broderick • Bryan Jr. • Byrne • Campbell • Chapman • Choy • Contie • Costantino • DeMascio • Denney • Dier • Doyle • Field • Finesilver • Flannery • Freeman • Gagliardi • Goodwin • Gordon • Green • Gurfein • Hall • Hand • Hodges • Holden • Hunter • Kunzig • Lacey • Lucas • Lydick • Mansfield • McGovern • McLaren • McMillen • Mulligan • Murray • Neaher • Newcomer • Newman • Nielsen • O'Connor • Oakes • Pierce • Powell • Rehnquist • Renfrew • Richey • Rosen • Rubin • Russell • Scalera • Sharp • Sprecher • Stephenson • Stuart • Timbers • Tone • Sickle • Varner • R. West • Williams • Young | ||
| 1972 |
Bechtle • Bennett • Burns • Campbell • Carter • Coffrin • Duffy • Enright • Foreman • Freedman • Griesa • Hermansdorfer • Joiner • Kashiwa • King • Knapp • Lively • Mahon • Markey • Neill • Owens • Pesquera • Roettger • Skopil, Jr. • Stewart • Tauro • Turk • Wallace • H. Ward • R. Ward • Widener | ||
| 1973 |
Biunno • Conner • Engel • Fogel • Garth • Gee • Guin • Hancock • Harvey • Marshall • Miller • Nangle • Owen • Reed • Schatz • Sharp • Skinner • Sneed • Snyder • Stern • Webster • Weis • Wood | ||
| 1974 |
Alsop • Duncan • Firth • Gurfein • Hill • Matsch • McGlynn • Meanor • Miles • Morris • Orrick • Platt • Porter • Schwartz • Stagg • Tone • Voorhees • Warren • Warriner • Werker | ||
| |||
|---|---|---|---|
| 1974 |
Bauer • Bramwell • Cahn • Churchill • Clarke • Cook • Elfvin • Fitzgerald • Flaum • Gerry • Kirkland • Sessions • Torruella • Graafeiland | ||
| 1975 |
Brimmer • Brotman • Grady • Haden • Henley • Higginbotham • Kennedy • Leighton • McNagny • Meskill • O'Conor • Rogers • Shell • Siler • Stafford • Stevens • Thompson • Tjoflat • Wong | ||
| 1976 |
Ackerman • Anderson • Aronovitz • Broderick • Callister • Cohill • Copenhaver • Crowley • Davis • Fay • Goettel • Guy • Haight • Hall • Hill • Ingram • Manos • Munson • Poole • Pratt • Richey • Schwartz • Schwarzer • Sear • Sterling • Takasugi • Waters • Williams • Wood | ||
