Jurists honor ‘brilliant man’ Stevens
Trump, first lady pay respects to late justice
WASHINGTON — Retired Supreme Court Justice John Paul Stevens was remembered as a “brilliant man” with a “deep devotion to the rule of law” during a ceremony Monday at the court where he served for nearly 35 years.
The 99-year-old Stevens died last week after suffering a stroke. Justice Elena Kagan, who replaced Stevens on the court after he retired in 2010, spoke during a brief ceremony before the public was invited to view Stevens’ casket at the court and pay their respects.
“He was a brilliant man with extraordinary legal gifts and talents, which he combined with a deep devotion to the rule of law and a deep commitment to equal justice,” said Kagan, who called Stevens modest and humble.
In addition to Kagan, five of Stevens’ former colleagues were at the court for the ceremony. Chief Justice John Roberts and Justices Ruth Bader Ginsburg, Samuel Alito and Sonia Sotomayor attended along with retired Justice Anthony Kennedy. Other justices were unable to attend because of prior commitments, court spokeswoman Kathy Arberg said.
After he stepped down from the court, Stevens kept an active schedule and wrote three books. This month, he joined Ginsburg and Sotomayor in Lisbon, Portugal, for a conference sponsored by the New York University law school, Arberg said. Stevens suffered his stroke July 15, a few days after returning from the trip, and he died the next day.
President Donald Trump and first lady Melania Trump were among those who visited the court to pay their respects. The two were greeted by Roberts and stood briefly before Stevens’ casket as well as a portrait of Stevens.
Stevens, who served in the Navy during World War II before going to law school at Northwestern University, will be buried Tuesday at Arlington National Cemetery in Virginia. He will be laid to rest in a section of the cemetery where several justices are also buried. The funeral will be private.