Justice Anthony Kennedy’s retirement, which takes effect on 31 July, gives Donald Trump a second supreme court appointment in his 17 months in office. ‘I’m very honoured that he chose to do it during my term in office because he felt confident in me to make the right choice and carry on his great legacy,’ Trump said of Kennedy at a rally in North Dakota on Wednesday night
Kennedy, 81, has provided crucial swing votes on progressive issues and retirement gives Trump an opportunity to shift the court right
Supreme court justice Anthony Kennedy, who has provided crucial swing votes in cases governing core progressive issues including abortion rights and same-sex marriage, announced his retirement on Wednesday in a decision likely to send shockwaves into every corner of US civic life.
The announcement set up a titanic battle between Republicans allied with Donald Trump, who wish to replace Kennedy with a more reliably conservative justice, and Democrats who fear that a new Trump appointment could give the court a decisive conservative bent for generations.
