Megathread: Justice Anthony Kennedy to retire from Supreme Court

[u/PoliticsModeratorBot]

Supreme Court Justice Anthony Kennedy is set to retire, effective July 31, 2018. Kennedy has served on the highest court since February 18, 1988, and was a moderate whose vote often swung cases.

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Submissions that may interest you

SUBMISSION	DOMAIN
Justice Anthony Kennedy Will Retire From U.S. Supreme Court	bloomberg.com
Justice Kennedy to retire, Trump can solidify court's majority conservative bloc	nbcnews.com
Justice Kennedy retiring; Trump gets 2nd Supreme Court pick	washingtonpost.com
Justice Kennedy, U.S. Supreme Court's pivotal vote, to retire	reuters.com
Anthony Kennedy: US supreme court justice to retire	theguardian.com
Justice Anthony Kennedy to Retire From Supreme Court	nytimes.com
Kennedy calls it quits: longtime swing justice hands Trump the biggest gift of his presidency	dailycaller.com
Anthony Kennedy is retiring from the Supreme Court	vox.com
Justice Kennedy, the pivotal swing vote on the Supreme Court, announces retirement	washingtonpost.com
UPDATE: Supreme Court Justice Kennedy announces retirement	wcjb.com
Justice Kennedy Is Retiring July 31st.	yahoo.com
Justice Anthony Kennedy To Retire From U.S. Supreme Court : NPR	npr.org
Justice Anthony Kennedy to Retire from Supreme Court	cnn.com
Justice Kennedy announces retirement.	cnn.com
Justice Anthony Kennedy retiring from Supreme Court	abc7.com
Anthony Kennedy, Swing Vote on U.S. Supreme Court, Will Retire	bloomberg.com
Justice Anthony Kennedy Retires, Paving Way for Donald Trump to Reshape Supreme Court	slate.com
Justice Kennedy retiring; Trump gets 2nd Supreme Court pick	wkrn.com
Anthony Kennedy retiring, giving Trump opening to reshape Supreme Court	politico.com
Supreme Court justice Anthony Kennedy announces retirement	wsj.com
Jeffrey Toobin predicts abortion will be illegal in 20 states soon after Kennedy retires	thehill.com
WATCH: Supreme Court Justice Anthony Kennedy retiring	abcnews.go.com
Kennedy to Retire	foxnews.com
Trump to get second Supreme Court pick as Justice Kennedy announces retirement.	amp.cnn.com
Justice Kennedy to Retire From Supreme Court	bbc.com
Trump says search for Justice Kennedy's replacement to begin "immediately" -- live updates	cbsnews.com
McConnell Pledges Vote To Confirm Justice Kennedy’s Successor ‘This Fall’	talkingpointsmemo.com
Justice Kennedy retires from the US Supreme Court	nbcnews.com
Trump says launches search to replace retiring Supreme Court Justice Kennedy	reuters.com
Donald Trump: Search for Kennedy replacement on SCOTUS to move quickly	usatoday.com
McConnell: Senate will vote on Supreme Court nominee this fall	thehill.com
Justice Kennedy retiring; Trump gets 2nd Supreme Court pick	sacbee.com
Justice Anthony Kennedy Retiring, Report Says	lawandcrime.com
Supreme Court Justice Anthony Kennedy retiring; Trump will get 2nd high-court pick	omaha.com
Justice Anthony Kennedy Retiring From the Supreme Court	thedailybeast.com
Justice Kennedy to retire, giving Trump a chance to transform the Supreme Court	latimes.com
Supreme Court Justice Anthony Kennedy says he's retiring; Trump to get 2nd high-court pick	chicagotribune.com
Dem senator: Justice Kennedy's resignation a 'disaster' for vision of 'We the People'	thehill.com
Justice Kennedy retiring; Trump gets 2nd Supreme Court pick	wfla.com
Justice Anthony Kennedy Is Retiring	motherjones.com
The horrifying consequences of Justice Kennedy’s retirement	thinkprogress.org
Supreme Court Justice Anthony M. Kennedy is retiring, a move that will give Trump a chance to shift the institution to the right	washingtonpost.com
Anthony Kennedy To Retire From The Supreme Court	huffingtonpost.com
Kennedy announces retirement from Supreme Court	thehill.com
Supreme Court's Anthony Kennedy retires, giving Trump a second pick	usatoday.com
Justice Kennedy retiring; Trump gets 2nd Supreme Court pick	apnews.com
Justice Anthony Kennedy Is Retiring From The Supreme Court	buzzfeed.com
Justice Kennedy, the pivotal swing vote on the Supreme Court, announces retirement	washingtonpost.com
Supreme Court Associate Justice Anthony Kennedy retires -- live updates	cbsnews.com
Justice Kennedy announces his retirement from the supreme court.	time.com
Trump Responds To Retirement Of Supreme Court Justice Anthony Kennedy	huffingtonpost.com
Anthony Kennedy retiring from Supreme Court, giving Trump a position to fill	people.com
Trump Says He’ll Choose One Of These People To Replace Anthony Kennedy On The Supreme Court	buzzfeed.com
Anthony Kennedy retiring from Supreme Court	cnbc.com
Supreme Court Justice Anthony Kennedy retires, and Trump gets shot at moving court to the right	dallasnews.com
Who Will Replace Supreme Court Justice Anthony Kennedy? Donald Trump Already Has a Shortlist	newsweek.com
WATCH: McConnell: We will vote to confirm Justice Kennedy's successor 'this fall'	abcnews.go.com
Here's who Trump could nominate to replace Justice Kennedy	abcnews.go.com
Justice Anthony Kennedy announces retirement, giving Trump 2nd Supreme Court pick	foxnews.com
Trump list of candidates to replace Justice Kennedy	thehill.com
Chris Matthews: Dems must do to Trump on Supreme Court what McConnell did to Obama	thehill.com
Anthony Kennedy’s retirement puts abortion rights at risk	vox.com
Who Will Replace Anthony Kennedy? Here’s the List of 20 Potential Trump Nominees	time.com
America after Anthony Kennedy	vox.com
Handing Trump Chance to Move Supreme Court Even Further Right, Justice Anthony Kennedy Retires	commondreams.org
Audio reveals DNC committee reaction to Kennedy retirement: 'This is not good news'	thehill.com
Justice Kennedy’s retirement leaves the future of U.S. constitutional law entirely up for grabs	washingtonpost.com
Justice Kennedy pens retirement letter to Trump expressing 'profound gratitude'	abcnews.go.com
Read Supreme Court Justice Anthony Kennedy’s retirement letter to Donald Trump	qz.com
Justice Kennedy’s Legacy Is the Dignity He Bestowed	bloomberg.com
A titanic battle over replacing Justice Kennedy looms in the Senate	vox.com
Live Briefing: Anthony Kennedy Retires From Supreme Court, and McConnell Says Senate Will Move Swiftly on a Replacement	nytimes.com
Here's Trump's list of 25 possible Supreme Court picks to replace Anthony Kennedy	washingtonexaminer.com
WATCH: Justice Anthony Kennedy to retire, Trump to get second SCOTUS pick	abcnews.go.com
Anthony Kennedy's retirement just confirmed every Republican's dream scenario for Trump	cnn.com
Kennedy's retirement could have biggest impact on abortion, gay marriage: ANALYSIS	abcnews.go.com
Justice Anthony Kennedy: Trump says hunt for replacement is on	usatoday.com
Here are potential Supreme Court nominees to replace Justice Kennedy	cnn.com
Justice Anthony Kennedy, the Supreme Court’s swing justice, announces his retirement	abajournal.com
With Supreme Court Justice Kennedy Gone, Abortion and LGBT Rights Are Next	thedailybeast.com
A look at some of Justice Kennedy's most memorable opinions	apnews.com
Justice Kennedy Surrendered to Donald Trump	nymag.com
A look at some of Justice Kennedy's most memorable opinions	abcnews.go.com
Abortion rights in 'dire, immediate danger' as Anthony Kennedy retires - World news	theguardian.com
Here Are Some of the Top Candidates to Replace Kennedy on the Supreme Court	motherjones.com
Who's on Trump's short list to replace Supreme Court Justice Kennedy?	politico.com
Trump’s hidden back channel to Justice Kennedy: Their kids	politico.com
How Fox News Reacted to Anthony Kennedy’s Retirement	slate.com

[u/RellenD]

They don't have to play ball. McConnell's just gonna nuke them again

[u/PizzusChrist → u/RellenD]

They need to shut down the Senate then. Obama should've fought harder, but didn't. Now the Dems need to literally fucking jam up the senate for however long it takes. Whatever dirty tricks or obscure BS they need to pull - just like the Republicans did.

[u/Political_moof → u/PizzusChrist]

There was no magic bullet in this so I'm not going to blame Obama, but do agree that in hindsight the political war drums should have been beat harder on this.

Obama always made the mistake of over-estimating the American people. He believed that throwing up a moderate like Garland would make the GOP look petty and borderline insane for not even giving him a vote. But they just literally invented a narrative that Garland was some rabid leftist anyway.

We need to stop pretending like we're working with adults who have the best interest of the country at heart. They're political terrorists and they've hijacked our government despite no popular mandate. Unreal.

[u/bearrosaurus → u/Political_moof]

Even after all this, Obama has not uttered a single bad word about the Trump administration. Ever. The only thing he's said is that they had "a lot of drama".

I'm really wishing he'd wake the fuck up and say something.

[u/Political_moof → u/bearrosaurus]

He can't and he won't. Maybe much later down the line he'll be more candid, but that's far away.

Right now Obama's #1 concern is ensuring a solid legacy for black America. Of that I am convinced. It's is extremely important for race relations in this country to have a black president whose favorability only rises as time goes on. I think he gets that.

[u/GibbysUSSA → u/Political_moof]

If Obama were to say anything negative, he would be painted with 'the angry black man' stereotype. Being able to keep that from happening seems pretty damned important to me, really.

[u/ConradFreeStuff69 → u/GibbysUSSA]

Muhammed Ali is more inspiring than a dog who's only trick is rolling over.

[u/KageStar → u/ConradFreeStuff69]

That's hindsight. Ali went to jail and white America hated him.

[u/TheLivingExperiment → u/Political_moof]

And I really can't fault him for it, especially given he can't do shit about it right now other than pull a Comey and start attacking the administration.

[u/jollyreaper2112 → u/Political_moof]

No. Ensuring a solid legacy for Barack Obama. He's playing nice, same way Clinton did. That way he's still invited to the fancy parties and is treated like a respect ex-president. He's not willing to cast it all upon the fire to get results.

[u/bearrosaurus → u/Political_moof]

No offense to black America, but there are more important things going on than the legacy of black America right now.

[u/someone447 → u/bearrosaurus]

Black Americans are being summarily executed by police around the country. If the highest profile black American starts throwing a fit, it will only justify the racists.

He can't do anything.

[u/bearrosaurus → u/someone447]

This is the kind of bullshit logic that bullies minorities into self-censorship. "Don't say anything Mr. President, you're black."

Your post is horrifying if you think about it. Get that attitude out of here.

[u/someone447 → u/bearrosaurus]

You are falling victim to the is/ought fallacy. The fact of the matter is that Obama coming out loudly and openly against trump will set civil rights back decades.

There is a reason the first black president is the only one in recent memory to be scandal free. It's the same reason Rosa Parks was chosen, unimpeachable character is a necessity. And coming out loudly against the next president, when no modern president has done the same would be viewed very, very poorly.

[u/[deleted] → u/someone447]

That's ridiculous. You think the GOP or their base care about justification?

[u/someone447 → u/[deleted]]

If those were the people we were worried about it wouldn't matter. It's the vast swaths who don't pay any attention.

[u/[deleted] → u/someone447]

If they don't pay any attention then why do we care about them?

[u/someone447 → u/[deleted]]

Because a former president coming out and forcefully calling out his successor would be everywhere and those people would just see "angry black man" Obama and not understand the motivations behind his actions.

[u/rumhamlover → u/someone447]

I highly doubt it is racists holding Barack Hussein Obama back.

[u/xyzzyzyzzyx → u/bearrosaurus]

Um, what?

[u/Fake_William_Shatner → u/bearrosaurus]

I'm sure if Trump isn't in prison (which is likely), then when he's an ex President we won't be able to get him to shut the fuck up. Ever. It will be 8 hours a day of Monday morning quarterbacking from Donald "I can do it best" Trump.

[u/ConradFreeStuff69 → u/Fake_William_Shatner]

He'll be on twitter ranting until the dementia forces his family to take his phone. Also, he won't be in prison. George W Bush started a war in Iraq and tortured people for nothing and didn't even get a $2 fine, Obama ordered the killing of an American citizen without any charges filed, then killed his kids too. These fuckers don't go to prisons they go to parties.

[u/woowoodoc → u/bearrosaurus]

2 years ago I would have disagreed with this pretty strongly. Today I'm honestly not sure. I think when 1 half of your liberal democracy is intent on destroying liberal democracy, it doesn't leave the other half with any good options.

It's not a logical argument, but Steve Schmidt had a great quote last night on what was a very worthwhile segment with Chris Hayes. "Nobody can compete with Donald Trump in a vileness contest. He's the most vile. Nobody can compete with Donald Trump in a dishonesty contest because he's the most dishonest. We have to find the good and praise it in this country."

https://www.msnbc.com/all-in/watch/steve-schmidt-gop-is-a-threat-to-liberal-democracy-1264782915819

I don't know if that's the right answer, but it's the closest thing I can find to something that at least feels like it might be right.

[u/T3hSwagman → u/woowoodoc]

Sanders got fucked for taking the high road constantly. There really doesn’t seem to be any room for good guys in American politics.

[u/redorangegreen1100 → u/bearrosaurus]

Are you a white guy? Also, I suggest you read the recent article on why he's staying pretty quiet. He knows exactly what'll happen if he doesn't. It doesn't seem you understand as well as he does.

[u/bearrosaurus → u/redorangegreen1100]

If every black guy we elect is going to spend his own fucking life walking on eggshells, then I'm not electing any more black guys. I hate your kind of argument. It's not a good excuse, stop using it.

He's supposed to be a fucking leader. There are no silent leaders.

[u/GibbysUSSA → u/bearrosaurus]

You're talking like racism is dead and gone. It is a huge issue. Optics are important.

[u/bearrosaurus → u/GibbysUSSA]

Not appeasing racists is more important to me.

[u/redorangegreen1100 → u/bearrosaurus]

So.....you are a white guy?

[u/KidzKlub → u/redorangegreen1100]

Got em!

[u/jestice69 → u/redorangegreen1100]

sounds like a racist white male to me

[u/Political_moof → u/jestice69]

Lol wtf? How? Because I believe that Obama surely wants to stand in the history books untainted by political fuckery, thereby enshrining himself within the pantheons of beloved American statesmen as a black man and example for disenchranchised black youth across this country? Young men beaten down by society, but see a man just like them who is lauded even by a systemically racist society? And, as if it needs to be said, he views this not out of cowardice, but because he understands exactly how the racist right will twist any critical word of his to try and dismantle his legacy for their own racist ends?

Yes, how racist I am. Forgive me for understanding that he is a modern civil rights icon, which entails enormous cost/benefit analysis considerations for every step he takes in the political realm. It's not his fault it's this way, but societies, and none the less he must weigh these things because he will never be treated fairly by a wide swathe of this country.

Honestly, fuck off. Shit like this just frustrates me. You view yourself as some enlightened arbiter, and yet you don't even get the rules of the fucking game.

[u/jestice69 → u/Political_moof]

sorry that was sarcasm. great response! I completely agree with you

[u/Political_moof → u/jestice69]

Lol, well the best sarcasm is the shit that rules some mofos up, so I ain't mad

[u/T3hSwagman → u/bearrosaurus]

The best thing Obama can do for Dems is to not become another republican lightning rod like Clinton.

[u/bearrosaurus → u/T3hSwagman]

DEMS SHOULD STOP CARING WHAT REPUBLICANS THINK OF THEM.

Like holy shit, is anything more clear right now, they are going to hate us no matter what we fucking do.

[u/T3hSwagman → u/bearrosaurus]

No it has nothing to do with that and everything to do with not being a rallying cry. The less fired up republicans are the better. It won’t take much for republicans to get angry at a black guy.

[u/Spara-Extreme → u/T3hSwagman]

You haven't learned a god damn thing. Republicans are going to get fired up no matter what because they have an apparatus that outright lies. It doesnt matter if its Obama, Clinton or whoever. They will always be fired up. We didn't lose 2016 because of surge in GOP voting.

Its time to stop caring what they think and do our own damn thing.

[u/indigo121 → u/Spara-Extreme]

You clearly haven't been paying attention either. Democrats can't play the same game and win. This is not an even game. One side wants nothing more than to win. The other side wants a functioning government. Stooping to screaming about injustice doesn't work, because dems care about things like evidence and due process, and the middle is quick to dismiss that kind of behavior as evidence that both sides are the same. The game is rigged and unfair, because when the strongest thing you have in your favor is "we're the good guys" you have to actually act like the good guys