Justice Stevens retiring
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KingCondanomation
New member
Now that the left wing Sotomayor is in, there should be a moderate to replace Stevens.
We'll probably see a shift to the right, as Stevens is the current court's most liberal member.
cawacko
Well-known member
How the hell did a Republican appoint the court's most liberal member? For those who can remember when he was confirmed what was your initial take on him?
I thought that was Bader-Ginsburg. Basically the court is four Conservatives, four Liberals and Kennedy the swing vote who has now become the "most powerful Jurist in America, ever"...
Gotta posture, always have to posture. This isn't the battle to hang yourself on though. If it were Kennedy retiring, that would be a mess.
That's because you don't remember a time when there were sane, and modestly progressive republicans. Even liberal republicans. The republicans of the last 20 years have become so reactionary, so extremist, so rightwing, that Gerald Ford and Eisenhower seem like communists by comparison. Just listen to Glenn Beck or most rightwing talk radio. They hate Teddy Roosevelt with a passion, even those he's the greatest republican president of the 20th century.
cawacko
Well-known member
Didn't Ford call Stevens his biggest mistake?
I still don't see how Ford would be more liberal in this regard than Carter, Clinton or Obama.
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When did Bush appoint a moderate?
Stevens was not even close to being the most liberal member when he was appointed. He was basically considered to be someone like Kennedy today. Basically, from left to right you had William Brennan, Thurgood Marshall, Harry Blackmun, Byron White, Stevens, Lewis Powell, Potter Stewart, Warren Burger, and William Rehnquist.
Over time, the true left-wingers were replaced with more moderate types and the right-wingers that joined the court are far more to the right than anyone on the court when Stevens was appointed.
And, for the record, I am hardly old enough to have had an initial take on him at the time of his confirmation.
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Seriously, Dano just wants to milk as much out of this as possible. We have to appoint a moderate to replace a liberal because we appointed a liberal to replace a liberal last time? That would change the balance of the court. If he were replacing a conservative, you might have a point, but I think the balance of the court does need changing again anyway.
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It's too bad we don't have any Brennan's and Marshall's on the court today.
The difference between Ginsburg and Stevens is fairly negligible, but since Stevens is retiring and I want to see a liberal take his place I am calling Stevens the most liberal member outright.
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I'm not sure you should place white and blackmum before stevens.