Supreme Court to Get Another New Justice?

Could one of the most reliable friends of gays and lesbians be retiring from the Supreme Court? According to Change.org, it's looking that way.

The website is speculating that Justice John Paul Stevens is preparing to hang up his robe.

First clue is his age: He'll be 90 years old in April. Second clue: The court is just about finished picking its law clerks for next year and the venerable Justice Stevens has hired only one clerk; he typically hires four, the usual number of assistants retained by the court's justices.

Stevens is one of the most liberal voices on the court, and has stated that the decriminalization of gay sex should have happened years before 2003's Lawrence v. Texas decision. Stevens also voted with the majority in Romer v. Evans, the 1996 decision that struck down a Colorado law preventing municipalities from enacting antidiscrimination protections for LGBT people.

If Stevens leaves, President Obama can be expected to find a replacement... also left-leaning, and considerably younger.