Thank you sticking with us the last 8 years. I am sure you were tempted at 88 to step aside but you stayed on for our country. Thank you for your strength and determination.
http://en.wikipedia.org/...
John Paul Stevens (born April 20, 1920) is currently the most senior Associate Justice of the Supreme Court of the United States. He joined the Court in 1975 and is the oldest and longest-serving incumbent member of the Court. He was appointed to the court by Republican President Gerald Ford. Although Stevens is widely considered to be on the liberal side of the court, Ford praised Stevens in 2005: "He is serving his nation well, with dignity, intellect and without partisan political concerns." He is also the only current Justice to have served under three Chief Justices (Burger, Rehnquist, and Roberts).
Thank you for fighting Justices Alito, Roberts, Scalia, and Thomas.
Thank you for fighting for the rights of Americans (and it's "detainees")
Thank you for fighting for causes greater than strict "interpretation of the constitution"
Thank you for fighting for my rights!
Stick around for a few more years with Obama, but retire before 2012 (please!!). I don't want to worry about your fortitude all the time anymore.
God bless you Justice John Paul Stevens!
On Free Speech:
"As a matter of constitutional tradition, in the absence of evidence to the contrary, we presume that governmental regulation of the content of speech is more likely to interfere with the free exchange of ideas than to encourage it. The interest in encouraging freedom of expression in a democratic society outweighs any theoretical but unproven benefit of censorship."
On Equal Rights:
BOY SCOUTS OF AMERICA v. DALE - Dissent - New Jersey "prides itself on judging each individual by his or her merits" and on being "in the vanguard in the fight to eradicate the cancer of unlawful discrimination of all types from our society." Since 1945, it has had a law against discrimination. The law broadly protects the opportunity of all persons to obtain the advantages and privileges "of any place of public accommodation."
On the rule of law:
Bush vs Gore - Dissent - "One thing is certain. Although we may never know with complete certainty the identity of the winner of this year's presidential election, the identity of the loser is perfectly clear. It is the nation's confidence in the judge as an impartial guardian of the rule of law."
-- Justice John Paul Stevens in dissent
Edit: Thanks for the recs...I pray for his good health for many years with everyone as well!
Update Edit from a comment:
I saw Justice Ginsberg speak in March of 2007. She said that Justice Stevens knew then exactly how many days there were until January 20, 2009.