Happy Historic Birthday, Justice Stevens; Long-Serving Jurist Celebrates His 90th Tomorrow
With characteristic modesty, it appears, Justice John Paul Stevens opted to announce earlier this month his planned retirement at the conclusion of the current U.S. Supreme Court term, rather than tomorrow, his 90th birthday.
He will be only the second justice in the history of the court to reach this milestone; the first was Justice Oliver Wendell Holmes, reports the Associated Press.
By retiring when he does, Stevens will leave Holmes with the record of being the oldest judge ever to serve on the nation’s highest court—he will be only a few months past his 90th, while Holmes was nearing his 91st when he stepped down. Likewise, Stevens, who will have served 34 years on the court, will not attempt to eclipse the 36-year record of Justice William O. Douglas.
His relatively low-key departure, however, enables his record to speak for itself, according to Northern Illinois University’s Artemus Ward, who authored a book about retirements from the Supreme Court: “Otherwise, it detracts from what you want people to think about, your jurisprudence,” he says.
Related coverage:
ABAJournal.com: “Man of Moderation: Last Justice of ‘Greatest Generation,’ Says Farewell”
ABAJournal.com: “Practical Meaning: As the Court Shifted Right, Stevens Kept His Place”
