The Dissenter (Justice John Paul Stevens)

NY Times Magazine ^ | 23 September 2007 | Jeffrey Rosen

[shrinkermd]

"...On the issue of abortion, however, Stevens has failed to persuade Kennedy to vote consistently with the liberals... Stevens said that the federal ban was deeply flawed and that Kennedy’s rhetoric about the need to protect women from the emotional trauma of abortions was frustrating. But he noted that the real-world effect of the defeat was minimal because of the widespread availability of alternative abortion procedures. “The statute is a silly statute,” he said. “It’s a silly statute.” He added, “It’s just a distressing exhibition by Congress, but what we decided isn’t all that important.”

[Clintonfatigued]

Expect more such puff pieces for Stevens as 2008 approaches.

[Paladin2]

I guess that’s what happens if the Constitution is more of a living document than not. Cuts both ways. Sorry.

[napscoordinator]

The biggest shame in the entire senate is that fact that we were FINALLY on the road to a decent Supreme Court. 2008 looks horrible for Republicans in the Senate and that means our great ability to change the Supreme Court might be down the drain. I find that tragic.

[fieldmarshaldj]

Jerry Ford never felt apologetic for appointing this piece of leftist trash to the bench... not once (unlike Ike with the worst Chief Justice in history, Earl Warren). He might as well have been a Carter appointee.

[wagglebee]

According to the gossip among Supreme Court law clerks, the level of tension among the justices is higher than at any point since Bush v. Gore in 2000.

Since most clerks only clerk for one term (a year), how would current clerks know what the tension was like then?

[Bulldawg Fan]

Stevens has been one of the most destructive influnces on the court in American history. He is overshadowed only by Earl Warren and Hugo Black as members who would allow the constitution to be intrepreted to the point of being an instrument of national suicide. Pornography, abortion, unlimited rights for criminals, unheard of POW rights, etc have been the hallmark of his votes.

If he leaves the court tomorrow, dead or alive, America would be a better place. Regardless of how he leaves, he has to go. He is neither distinguished or famous. He is just an extreme left wing lunatic who has worked to destroy the foundations of American civilization.

[fieldmarshaldj]

Bingo. And the “POW” rights are special rights for terrorist termites. Unf’ingbelievable.

[Brilliant]

“It is my firm conviction,” Justice John Paul Stevens wrote in the case striking down race-based enrollment policies in public schools, “that no Member of the Court that I joined in 1975 would have agreed with today’s decision.”

So what, John? It’s an evolving Constitution. No one would have agreed with Roe v. Wade in 1960, either. No one would have agreed with the sodomy decision when you joined the court either.

[Beagle8U]

Stevens is just pi$$ed off because he knows Fred Thompson will likely be elected, and He and Ruth Buzzy Ginsberg can’t hand on until 2012.

Fred will nominate judges to the right of Thomas .

[wagglebee]

Fred will nominate judges to the right of Thomas .

You mean in line with Clarence Thomas?

[Beagle8U]

To the right of Clarence Thomas if he can find one. And he has the stones to get them confirmed.

[Candor7]

There is one POS that has to be removed from the Senate Judiciary Committee, and that is Leahy, who has done more to obstruct the creation of a "strict interpretation" Court than any one in history. I would love to see him LONG gone.

[wagglebee]

He won’t be removed from the Judiciary Committee until he dies or retires.

[wagglebee]

I would be interested to see who that person is, I am unaware of ANY justice ever being more conservative than Thomas and that includes Rehnquist and Scalia.

[Hawk1976]

The republicans were too busy attacking their own voting base. They decided to act if legislative control was their right and not subject to actually building and maintaining their voting block.

I have been shouted down before on this, Democrats have traditional bases that can be wooed without costing the republican coalition. Instead republicans went with big government uber alles, something libertarians despise. Tried to pass two massive amnesty packages, and called the law and order crowd a bunch of racists for not “getting with the program”.

I’d like to tell you that the republican party isn’t suffering from numerous self-inflicted gunshot wounds, that isn’t the case. The Dems are equally unliked, they didn’t go out of their way to tick off their base, and that is the margin of difference.

[Paladin2]

"He is just an extreme left wing lunatic who has worked to destroy the foundations of American civilization."

What about Ruth Buzzy?

[Beagle8U]

I said “ if he can find one”.

Bottom line, conservatives from a Fred Thompson Administration.

[wagglebee]

You’ll get no argument from me there.

[Talking_Mouse]

I said “ if he can find one”.

I think Justice Janice Rogers Brown has a very nice ring to it.