John Paul Stevens left mark on America
Long-serving jurist ruled on bias, voting, policing
WASHINGTON – He was nominated by Republican President Gerald Ford and retired under Democratic President Barack Obama, who was a teenager when John Paul Stevens began his 35 years of service on the Supreme Court.
In between, Stevens – who died Tuesday at 99 after suffering a stroke – had a major impact on most areas of American life, even as he evolved from a self-described conservative to become the leader of the court’s liberal wing.
Stevens voted to reinstate the death penalty in 1976, a decision he came to rue as he authored opinions decades later limiting its use. He voted against minority set-asides in college admissions in 1978 but upheld a similar policy a quarter century later.
Here are some of the justice’s most notable opinions and dissents from his Supreme Court years from 1975 to 2010:
Notable opinions
Chevron v. Natural Resources Defense Council, 1984: In a unanimous verdict, Stevens set the standard for federal agencies’ discretion to interpret ambiguous laws passed by Congress.
Apprendi v. New Jersey, 2000: The court ruled 5-4 that in order to increase criminal penalties beyond what’s prescribed by law, prosecutors must submit additional facts to a jury and prove them beyond reasonable doubt.
Atkins v. Virginia, 2002: States cannot execute prisoners who are intellectually disabled, the court ruled in a 6-3 decision, because it violates the Constitution’s prohibition on cruel and unusual punishment.
Kelo v. New London, 2005: Stevens’ controversial 5-4 opinion allowed local governments to take over private property for development purposes.
Hamdan v. Rumsfeld, 2006: In a 5-3 ruling, the court struck down the use of President George W. Bush’s military commissions to try detainees at Guantanamo Bay Naval Base in Cuba.
Key dissents
Bowers v. Hardwick, 1986: Stevens dissented from the court’s 5-4 ruling that allowed states to outlaw acts of sodomy among homosexuals. The decision was overruled 17 years later.
Texas v. Johnson, 1989: The court ruled 5-4 that burning the U.S. flag is a form of protected free speech, but Stevens – a veteran of World War II – argued that the flag is “worthy of protection from unnecessary desecration.”
Bush v. Gore, 2000: Stevens was among four liberal justices who sought a recount in Florida that could have flipped the result of the presidential election.
District of Columbia v. Heller,
2008: In a 5-4 verdict he came to regret more than any other, Stevens argued in dissent that the Second Amendment does not give citizens the right to possess guns for self-defense. Citizens United v. Federal Election Commission, 2010: When the court ruled 5-4 that independent election spending by corporations cannot be limited, Stevens argued that corporations lacked the rights of individual citizens.