Stevens Says Supreme Court Will Eventually ‘Straighten Itself Out’
Recently retired Justice John Paul Stevens is critical of two Supreme Court decisions striking down a school integration program and finding a Second Amendment right to own guns, but he’s optimistic that the court will eventually see the light.
Speaking to USA Today in an interview, Stevens was critical of the 5-4 decisions in the two cases. No member of the court he joined in 1975 would ever have supported those rulings, issued in 2007 and 2008, Stevens said. But he wasn’t entirely pessimistic.
“In time, the court will straighten itself out,” Stevens told the newspaper. “Judges change over time, as they do the work. And there are fine judges on the court right now, and in the long run, you can be sure that they’ll do a good job.”
Stevens added that he considers all the justices to be good friends.
The interview was published as the court’s new term gets under way today. The New York Times, the Washington Post and the National Law Journal have case previews. The court’s newest justice, Elena Kagan, has recused herself from 25 of 51 pending cases on the docket so far, the Washington Post reports.
The ABA Journal’s October issue also highlights several cases and features an interview with Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg.
