Chief Justice John Paul Stevens

Derek Brewer

Professor Barton

Political Science

October 23, 2009

Senior Associate Justice of the Supreme Court: John Paul Stevens

Justice John Paul Stevens, the oldest member of the court and distinguished as being the only current Justice to have served with three Chief Justices, is currently holding a long and loyal career in the Supreme Court. Critics of Stevens argue that his attitude is too “individualistic” (God forbid he thinks for himself) and as such has a hard time making coalitions. Advocates on the other hand, hail him as an honest and well-seasoned veteran of the Supreme Court. In Stephens’ time he has supported gay rights, abortion rights, and federalism as well as surprising many by avoiding simple conservative or liberal labels; hence the “individualistic” accusations. Stevens was appointed in 1975 by President Gerald Ford to fill in Justice William Douglas’ absence and has remained ever since then. But before that it’s important to go over his background so that his currently controversial freethinking can be better understood.

Stevens was born in Chicago, Illinois on April 20, 1920 to Ernest and Elizabeth Stevens. Ernest Stevens made his living in the insurance business and owned a hotel called the Stevens Hotel (now the Chicago Hilton). Twenty-one years later he graduated from the University of Chicago and started serving in the navy a year later during the outbreak of World War Two. During this time he served in a team of Navy code-breakers to interpret and cipher Japanese coded messages; to which he earned a Bronze Star for his actions. At the conclusion of WWII he returned to the U.S. and attended the Northwestern University Law School to study law. He distinguished himself as the editor-in-chief for the school’s law review and graduated with the highest grades in the law school’s history. After graduating he served a term (4 years) as law clerk to Supreme Court Justice Wiley Rutledge. Later on from there he joined a...