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'''John Paul Stevens''' (b. April 20, 1920) is an Associate Justice of the [[U.S. Supreme Court]] (1975-), and as of 2008 is the only veteran on the Supreme Court.  On April 9, 2010, Justice Stevens announced his retirement from the Court effective at the end of its October 2009 Term.

'''John Paul Stevens''' (b. April 20, 1920) is an Associate Justice of the [[U.S. Supreme Court]] (1975-1010), and as of 2008 is the only veteran on the Supreme Court.  On April 9, 2010, Justice Stevens announced his retirement from the Court effective at the end of its October 2009 Term.

In 1970, [[Richard Nixon]] appointed Stevens to the [[federal]] Court of Appeals for the [[Seventh Circuit]] in 1970, where he rendered a decision influential to the battle over the [[Equal Rights Amendment]].  President [[Gerald Ford]] appointed Stevens to fill the vacancy left by the retirement of Justice [[William Douglas]] in 1975, and Stevens was easily confirmed.

In 1970, [[Richard Nixon]] appointed Stevens to the [[federal]] Court of Appeals for the [[Seventh Circuit]] in 1970, where he rendered a decision influential to the battle over the [[Equal Rights Amendment]].  President [[Gerald Ford]] appointed Stevens to fill the vacancy left by the retirement of Justice [[William Douglas]] in 1975, and Stevens was easily confirmed.

Though appointed by a Republican President, Stevens consistently votes with the [[liberal]] wing of the Court, particularly on [[abortion]], the [[Establishment Clause]] and other social issues.  A rare exception to his voting with the [[liberal]] bloc is on issues endangering patriotism, such as Justice Stevens' vote to uphold laws against flag-burning.  (Justice Stevens won a Bronze Star for his service in the [[Navy]] during [[World War II]], as described below.)

Though appointed by a Republican President, Stevens consistently votes with the [[liberal]] wing of the Court, particularly on [[abortion]], the [[Establishment Clause]] and other social issues.  A rare exception to his voting with the [[liberal]] bloc is on issues endangering patriotism, such as Justice Stevens' vote to uphold laws against flag-burning.  (Justice Stevens won a Bronze Star for his service in the [[Navy]] during [[World War II]], as described below.)

Justice Stevens is often unpredictable and can express unusual views, and has concurred or dissented in 1284 cases as of August 2007.  For example, only Justice Stevens declared that violated the [[Establishment Clause]] for a state to recognize that life begins at conception:<ref>Webster v. Reprod. Health Servs., 492 U.S. 490, 566-67 (1989) (Stevens, J., concurring in part and dissenting in part)</ref>

Justice Stevens is often unpredictable and can express unusual views, and has concurred or dissented in 1284 cases as of August 2007.  For example, only Justice Stevens declared that violated the [[Establishment Clause]] for a state to recognize that life begins at conception:<ref>''Webster v. Reprod. Health Servs''., 492 U.S. 490, 566-67 (1989) (Stevens, J., concurring in part and dissenting in part)</ref>

:I am persuaded that the absence of any secular purpose for the legislative declarations that life begins at conception and that conception occurs at fertilization makes the relevant portion of the preamble invalid under the [[Establishment Clause]] of the [[First Amendment]] to the [[Federal Constitution]]. This conclusion does not, and could not, rest on the fact that the statement happens to coincide with the tenets of certain religions, see ''McGowan v. Maryland'', 366 U.S. 420, 442 (1961); ''Harris v. McRae'', 448 U.S. 297, 319-320 (1980), or on the fact that the legislators who voted to enact it may have been motivated by religious considerations, see ''Washington v. Davis'', 426 U.S. 229, 253 (1976) (Stevens, J., concurring). Rather, it rests on the fact that the preamble, an unequivocal endorsement of a religious tenet of some but by no means all Christian faiths, 11 serves no identifiable secular purpose. That fact alone compels a conclusion that the statute violates the Establishment Clause.

:I am persuaded that the absence of any secular purpose for the legislative declarations that life begins at conception and that conception occurs at fertilization makes the relevant portion of the preamble invalid under the [[Establishment Clause]] of the [[First Amendment]] to the [[Federal Constitution]]. This conclusion does not, and could not, rest on the fact that the statement happens to coincide with the tenets of certain religions, see ''McGowan v. Maryland'', 366 U.S. 420, 442 (1961); ''Harris v. McRae'', 448 U.S. 297, 319-320 (1980), or on the fact that the legislators who voted to enact it may have been motivated by religious considerations, see ''Washington v. Davis'', 426 U.S. 229, 253 (1976) (Stevens, J., concurring). Rather, it rests on the fact that the preamble, an unequivocal endorsement of a religious tenet of some but by no means all Christian faiths, 11 serves no identifiable secular purpose. That fact alone compels a conclusion that the statute violates the Establishment Clause.

Often writing in dissent, Justice Stevens wrote few significant majority decisions for the Court.  During his 35 years as a Supreme Court Justice, his most important Court decisions were ''Atkins v. Virginia'' (2002) (holding that the execution of mentally retarded defendants was unconstitutional under the [[Eighth Amendment]]); ''Clinton v. Jones'' (1997) (holding that a president is not exempt from civil litigation); and ''Wallace v. Jaffree'' (1985) (invalidating a state law mandating a minute of silence in public schools “for meditation or silent prayer”).

Often writing in dissent, Justice Stevens wrote few significant majority decisions for the Court.  During his 35 years as a Supreme Court Justice, his most important Court decisions were ''Atkins v. Virginia'' (2002) (holding that the execution of mentally retarded defendants was unconstitutional under the [[Eighth Amendment]]); ''Clinton v. Jones'' (1997) (holding that a president is not exempt from civil litigation); and ''Wallace v. Jaffree'' (1985) (invalidating a state law mandating a minute of silence in public schools "for meditation or silent prayer").  Justice Stevens voted in favor of the constitutionality of the [[death penalty]] in 1976,<ref>''See Gregg v. Georgia'', 428 U.S. 153 (1976)</ref> but later took the position that it is always unconstitutional.

Justice Stevens dissented alone from an 8-1 decision reversing application the racketeering law (designed to use against mobsters) to [[pro-life]] protesters.  In other words, Justices Stevens felt that this law should apply against pro-lifers, relying heavily on his own dissents from prior Supreme Court decisions:

Justice Stevens dissented alone from an 8-1 decision reversing application the racketeering law (designed to use against mobsters) to [[pro-life]] protesters.  In other words, Justices Stevens felt that this law should apply against pro-lifers, relying heavily on his own dissents from prior Supreme Court decisions: