US Supreme Court Justice John Paul Stevens announced today that he will retire, giving President Barack Obama his second high court appointment and setting up a potential partisan election-year Senate confirmation battle.
Judge Stevens (89), one of the oldest and longest-serving justices in history, said in a statement that he sent a letter to the White House notifying Mr Obama of his retirement. He joined the court in 1975.
A confirmation battle could sidetrack Democratic plans to focus on the economy and job creation ahead of November's congressional elections in which Republicans are hoping to regain control of Congress.
The departure of Stevens means Mr Obama will get his second Supreme Court appointment. Last year, he named Sonia Sotomayor as the Supreme Court's first Hispanic in filling the vacancy created by Justice David Souter's retirement.
Mr Obama said he viewed the process of selecting a Supreme Court nominee "as among my most serious responsibilities as president".
"And while we cannot replace Justice Stevens' experience or wisdom, I will seek someone in the coming weeks with similar qualities, an independent mind, a record of excellence and integrity, a fierce dedication to the rule of law and a keen understanding of how the law affects the daily lives of the American people."
US senator Patrick Leahy, a Democrat and chairman of the Senate judiciary committee, which will consider Mr Obama's nominee before the full Senate votes on it, said: "I hope that senators on both sides of the aisle will make this process a thoughtful and civil discourse. I expect President Obama to continue his practice of consulting with members on both sides of the aisle as he considers this important nomination."
Juge Stevens said in his letter that he would retire one day after the Supreme Court's current term ends, which is expected in late June.
He said he had concluded it would be in the best interests of the court to have my successor appointed and confirmed by the Senate well in advance of the start of the court's next term, which begins in October.
Mr Obama is expected to nominate a fellow liberal to replace Judge Stevens and then push hard to win the required Senate confirmation for the lifetime appointment. It would not change the overall ideological balance on the court, divided with five conservatives and four liberals.
Mr Obama administration officials and legal experts said the leading candidates to replace Stevens were expected to be current Solicitor General Elena Kagan and a pair of US appeals court judges, Diane Wood and Merrick Garland.
Reuters