The President and the Justice: A Look at the Legacy of John Paul Stevens

Yale Law School professor Linda Greenhouse spoke at the Ford Library on September 15 in commemoration of Constitution Day. A very attentive overflow crowd heard Ms. Greenhouse discuss President Ford's nomination of Justice John Paul Stevens to the U.S. Supreme Court and his amazingly fast confirmation process. She opened with a quotation from a letter President Ford wrote in 1975 on the occasion of the 30th anniversary of Justice Stevens' appointment: "I am prepared to allow history's judgment of my term in office to rest, if necessary, exclusively on my nomination 30 years ago of Justice John Paul Stevens to the U.S. Supreme Court." Greenhouse went on to describe his many contributions to the court, noting that he tended to offer nuance and was not doctrinaire in his views.