Friday, April 9, 2010
Justice Stevens retires from the Supreme Court
4 comments
After 34 years of serving on the Supreme Court, Justice John Paul Stevens has announced his retirement. He served until age 89 (!) and was first nominated by President Gerald R. Ford in 1975, who said he wanted to appoint "the finest legal mind I could find." I got e-mails from both NOW and CredoAction, commending all Justice Stevens did for equality. He was a proponent of women's rights, reproductive justice, affirmative action, and LGBTQ rights.
Stevens' are some enormous shoes to fill, but I'm hoping President Obama will appoint someone who is just as dedicated to fighting for justice and equality. NOW is calling upon President Obama to appoint a woman in order to better balance the male-dominated Court, but I'm afraid he might be hesitant to appoint another woman, out of apprehension for what crap the ignorant right-wingers will sling at him: "OMGZ, he lyke appointed another woman?!?! He's totes only appointing judges based on whether or not they're a part of oppressed groups!!! Because two women could not possibly be best qualified to serve on the Court... I blame affirmative action!!!1!!111"
But let's hope for the best, and take a minute to send Justice Stevens a thank you note, all of which will be delivered on his 90th birthday on April 20th. Thank you for your years of hard work, Justice Stevens, I wish you all the best.
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April 13, 2010 at 12:03 AM
I think it would be really awesome to have another woman on the Supreme Court, but at the same time why should we push for a candidate based on gender? I think the president should select the best candidate, regardless of whether they are male or female. If the best option happens to be a woman, then I think that's huge and very encouraging. However, I also think it's very beneficial to have a male who strongly believes in equal rights for women. This, to me, shows that men can have this stance on a political issue and that it is a very respectable stance. I would rather not keep encouraging the male vs. female debate... that just increases tension and slows progress these days.
April 14, 2010 at 5:12 AM
Really encouraged to see that:
a) age is equated with wisdom here and that
b) despite generational differences he was such a stalwart of equality.
April 20, 2010 at 9:30 AM
I definatly agree with you Kristi, when electing people into high government offices i beleive that it is important to focus on who is the most qualifeid for the job, not ehat race they are or what gender they are. Electing someone soly for those reasons is not in the best intrest of our country. yes it would be great to have another women on the Supreme Court, but if she is less qualified to do the job than a man then she should not get it.
June 2, 2023 at 12:36 AM
Thanks for this blog poost