Supreme Court to Get Another New Justice?

Neal Broverman

Neal Broverman is the Editorial Director, Print of Pride Media, publishers of The Advocate, Out, Out Traveler, and Plus, spending more than 20 years in journalism. He indulges his interest in transportation and urban planning with regular contributions to Los Angeles magazine, and his work has also appeared in the Los Angeles Times and USA Today. He lives in the City of Angels with his husband, children, and their chiweenie.

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Neal Broverman

September 03 2009 6:05 PM EST

November 17 2015 5:28 AM EST

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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.