No huge surprise here, but John Paul Stevens will be resigning this summer. I hope Obama will consider that since 1916 this seat on the Court has been held by three — just-three — giants: Louis Brandeis, William O. Douglas, and Stevens. (And, personally, I’d prefer a throwback to a strong liberal like Douglas, as it says something that a moderate Republican has become the leader of the Court’s liberal wing.)
I’ll have more about possible replacements over the coming weeks. In the meantime, a good roundup of likely candidates can be found here.
—Scott Lemieux
