Supreme Court Justice Stevens to Resign

In case you were afraid the passage of Obamacare left Washington with nothing controversial to argue over, Supreme Court Associate Justice John Paul Stevens has announced his retirement:

Stevens says he will step down when the court finishes its work for the summer in late June or early July.

His announcement Friday in Washington had been hinted at for months. It comes 11 days before his 90th birthday.

Stevens began signaling a possible retirement last summer when he hired just one of his usual complement of four law clerks for the next court term. He acknowledged in several interviews that he was contemplating stepping down and would certainly do so during Obama’s presidency.

The timing of his announcement leaves ample time for the White House to settle on a successor and Senate Democrats, who control 59 votes, to conduct confirmation hearings and a vote. Republicans have not ruled out an attempt to delay confirmation.

The leading candidates to replace Stevens are Solicitor General Elena Kagan, 49, and federal appellate Judges Merrick Garland, 57, and Diane Wood, 59.

He was appointed by Gerald Ford but became one of the most liberal justices on the court. He'll certainly be replaced by another lib, and I can't help but wonder if the timing of his decision was forced a bit by Obama who realizes that by this time next year he'll have far fewer Democrats in the Senate for the confirmation process than he does now.