Wednesday, July 17, 2019

John Paul Stevens, a former associate justice of the US Supreme Court, died yesterday at the age of 99, according to a statement released by the Supreme Court. Stevens died in the evening with his two daughters at his bedside at Holy Cross Hospital in Fort Lauderdale, Florida. The statement ascribed his death to complications from a stroke on Monday.

Stevens was born in 1920 in Chicago, Illinois and studied law at Northwestern University. He was nominated to the Supreme Court in 1975 by President Gerald Ford. Among the most famous opinions written by Stevens was his dissent in the Court’s decision to halt Florida recounts in the 2000 US Presidential election, the decision that cemented George W. Bush’s victory over Al Gore. Stevens retired from the court in 2010.

“On behalf of the Court and retired Justices,” wrote Chief Justice John G. Roberts, “I am saddened to report that our colleague Justice John Paul Stevens has passed away. A son of the Midwest heartland and a veteran of World War II, Justice Stevens devoted his long life to public service, including 35 years on the Supreme Court. He brought to our bench an inimitable blend of kindness, humility, wisdom, and independence. His unrelenting commitment to justice has left us a better nation. We extend our deepest condolences to his children Elizabeth and Susan, and to his extended family”.