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Stevens, John Paul (1920-)

John Paul Stevens was appointed as associate justice to the U.S. Supreme Court by President Gerald Ford in 1975. Although nominally a Republican, Stevens brought with him a reputation as a political moderate. On the Court, he demonstrated an independent streak, tending to be a pragmatic jurist who reached decisions on narrow factual and legal grounds rather than advocating a particular judicial philosophy. However, in recent years, as the Court has moved more to the right, Justice Stevens has frequently voted as a liberal in cases affecting education law.

Early Years

Stevens was born into a wealthy family in Chicago, Illinois, on April 10, 1920. His father owned the Stevens Hotel, which today is the Chicago Hilton. As a child, he grew up in a residential area near the University of Chicago campus, and he received his elementary and secondary education at the university's laboratory school. He then entered the University of Chicago, where he majored in English, edited the student newspaper, and graduated Phi Beta Kappa. After college, Stevens joined the U.S. Navy and was awarded the Bronze Star for his service during World War II as a code breaker in naval intelligence.

Returning home after the war, he enrolled in law school at Northwestern University. At Northwestern, Stevens was an outstanding student, serving as editor-in-chief of the law review, graduating first in his class, and earning the highest grades in the law school's history. On graduation from law school, he clerked at the U.S. Supreme Court for Justice Wiley Rutledge.

Following his clerkship, Stevens was hired as an associate with one of Chicago's most prestigious law firms. Three years later, he formed his own firm. In private practice, Stevens developed an expertise in the field of antitrust law. He taught courses on antitrust law at Northwestern University and at the University of Chicago. During this time, he also served as counsel for committees of the U.S. House of Representatives and U.S. attorney general's office studying monopolies and researching antitrust laws. Steven's reputation for integrity led to his appointment as chief counsel to a commission investigating alleged improprieties of state court judges in Illinois.

On the Bench

In 1970, on the recommendation of a college friend, U.S. Senator Charles Percy, Stevens was appointed by President Richard Nixon for a seat on the Seventh Circuit. During his tenure as an appellate court judge, Stevens authored over 200 opinions, many of which were quite lengthy and accompanied by detailed footnotes. His early writings provided a clue to his approach to judicial decision making, demonstrating a preference for narrowly tailored decisions rather than grand pronouncements on constitutional law.

In 1975, following the resignation of Justice William O. Douglas from the Supreme Court, Judge Stevens was on the short list of possible replacements. Edward Levi, U.S. attorney general and former dean of the University of Chicago Law School, was a strong supporter of Stevens and highly recommended him to President Gerald Ford. The American Bar Association gave Stevens its highest rating. In the aftermath of Watergate, President Ford nominated Stevens as a respected judge with moderate Republican leanings whose appointment would not create partisan political controversy. Judge Stevens's nomination was confirmed by a unanimous vote of the Senate.

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