He was often the key vote

In his more than 30 years on the Supreme Court, Justice Anthony Kennedy has made his impact felt on the high court — and American life.

Nominated by President Ronald Reagan in 1987, Kennedy has long been the court’s most flexible conservative and, on no shortage of occasions, has sided with liberal justices over some of his rightleaning colleagues. Thanks to his penchant for examining cases beyond political ideology, Kennedy became not only unpredictable, but often times the deciding factor in some of the court’s most critical decisions.

Here’s a look at few of Kennedy’s key cases during his tenure on the Supreme Court:

GAY RIGHTS

Kennedy in 2015 penned the ruling that legalized same-sex marriage nationwide.

The final paragraph in Kennedy’s ruling has since been used by scores of couples in their wedding vows.

CITIZENS UNITED

He was also instrumental in the 2010 Citizens United ruling, which dubbed political spending by independent corporations and unions a form of free speech protected by the First Amendment. Those opposed feared unfettered spending by wealthy business could have a strong influence on election outcomes.

In the case, the conservative nonprofit Citizens United sought to air a film critical of Hillary Clinton and to advertise for it during broadcasts leading up to the 2008 Democratic primary election. Federal law at the time prohibited any business or union to broadcast an ad reaching more than 50,000 people within 30 days of a primary or 60 days of an election.

ABORTION

In 1992, Kennedy disappointed conservatives when he co-wrote an opinion reaffirming the outcome of Roe vs. Wade, which recognizes abortion as a constitutional right.

TRAVEL BAN

Kennedy on Tuesday joined in the majority opinion of Chief Justice John Roberts’ upholding the third iteration of President Trump’s travel ban, which bars visitors and refugees from five mainly Muslim nations — as well as travelers from North Korea and government officials from Venezuela.