The quiet ascent of Justice Stevens

[Blackaxe]

A longtime judicial maverick known for his liberal outlook and a fondness for silk bow ties, Justice Stevens has quietly emerged as a behind-the-scenes force on a largely conservative high court.

He has done it in part by taking a long view of his role at the court, sticking to his convictions, and waiting - often for decades - until a majority of the court recognizes what he sees as the wisdom of his position.

For example, in the decision extending federal court jurisdiction to detainees at Guantánamo Bay, Justice Stevens firmly established as law a legal argument he first encountered in 1948 as a Supreme Court law clerk. His boss, Justice Wiley Rutledge, embraced the argument in a dissent.

But last week - 56 years later - the same legal principles expressed in that Rutledge dissent became the clear law of the land in a landmark decision Stevens penned.

http://www.csmonitor.com/2004/0709/p01s03-usju.html

[displacedtexan]

1. Jeez! You scared me!

I thought some reporter was metaphoring--- and that Stevens had died!

[arcos]

2. Very interesting article, thank you...

and welcome to DU :hi:

[harrison]

3. I think it has something to do with the fact that the man has

integrity, a quality sorely missing in Scalia, Rehnquist, and Thomas.