Kennedy’s Retirement Will Reshape the Court

Supreme Court Justice Anthony Kennedy, a centrist conservative who occupied arguably the most powerful seat on an ideologically-divided institution, has announced his retirement – a surprise move that will unleash an epic political battle over the future of the nation’s highest court – and whether President Donald Trump gets to anchor it further to the right.

Conservatives, meanwhile, urged Trump and the Senate to nominate another conservative like Gorsuch, and put the candidate on a fast track to confirmation.

Tom Fitton, president of the right-leaning Judicial Watch concurred, urging Trump to quickly “put forward another nominee who has a demonstrated record of applying the rule of law rather than legislating from the bench.” The Senate, he added, “should move quickly to work with President Trump to consider and approve a new justice who will apply the U.S. Constitution as written and understood by our Founding Fathers.”