Guide Note

Anthony Kennedy is an Associate Justice on the Supreme Court. Appointed by Ronald Reagan in 1988, Kennedy was seen as a centrist justice on the court during most of his career, providing the "swing vote" along with Sandra Day O'Connor. Since serving on the Roberts court, Kennedy has tended to vote with the Supreme Court's conservative majority.

Fast Facts

Born July 23, 1936 in Sacramento, California
Assumed office on February 18, 1988
Nominated by President Ronald Reagan
Preceded by: Lewis Franklin Powell, Jr.
Spouse: Mary Davis Kennedy
Religion: Catholic
Alma Mater: Stanford University
"Swing" vote between conservative and liberal Justices

Career before Supreme Court

Kennedy received his B.A. from Stanford University before earning an LL.B from Harvard University law school. He served as a professor of Constitutional law at the University of the Pacific from 1965-1988 and was appointed to the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals in 1975.

"Swing Vote"

For most of his tenure on the Supreme Court, Kennedy has been considered a "swing vote" on the court, moving between the conservative and liberal wings of the court on issues such as abortion, civil liberties, the death penalty and other issues. Because of his voting history, Kennedy's judicial philosophy is seen as a mix of conservative and libertarian.

Categories

Politics | U.S. Government | Justice System | Supreme Court | Judges

View Note History

Anthony Kennedy

The Mahalo Top 7

Wikipedia: Anthony Kennedy
OYEZ: Anthony Kennedy Biography
Official Site: Supreme Court of the United States
The New Yorker: "Annals of Law: Swing Shift" (2005)
CNN: "Justice Kennedy works on his swing" (2006)
WashingtonPost.com: "Justice Kennedy: The Highly Influential Man in the Middle"
ABC News: "Supreme Court's 5-4 Cases This Term"

Anthony Kennedy Recent News

MSNBC.com: "Top court upholds ban on abortion procedure"
CNN: Justices rule against killer on Arizona's death row
WashingtonPost.com: "New Rhetoric in SCOTUS Abortion Ruling"
Breitbart.com: "Justice Kennedy Says Morale Low Over Pay"
TIME: "The Drifters"
The New York Times: Anthony M. Kennedy articles
Google News: Anthony Kennedy

Anthony Kennedy Biography and Background Articles

Academy of Achievement: Anthony Kennedy Interview (2005)
The Christian Science Monitor: "Rise of a new centrist" (2006)
Slate Magazine: "Swing for the bleachers" (2006)
The New York Times: "In Battle to Pick Next Justice, Right Says, Avoid a Kennedy" (2005)
TIME: "Too Young to Die" (2005)

Anthony Kennedy Commentary and Criticism

WashingtonPost.com: Editorial: "Justice Kennedy Goes Too Far"
FOXNews.com: Supreme Court Has Decided to Let Congress Play Doctor
Slate Magazine: Will the real Anthony Kennedy please stand up?
Slate Magazine: Kennedy is sort of horrified by voluntary school desegregation (2006)
OpinionJournal: "The Kennedy Court?" (2006)
National Review Online: Justice Kennedy's Mind (2005)
MSNBC.com: DeLay slams Supreme Court Justice Kennedy (2005)
The American Spectator: "Kennedy's Benchmarks" (2004)
Salon.com: Justice Kennedy should recuse himself (2002)

Anthony Kennedy Photos and Videos

MSN Video: Kennedy: No cameras in Supreme Court
YouTube: Supreme Court Joke with Kennedy
YouTube & Google Video: Anthony Kennedy
Yahoo! Image Search: Anthony Kennedy

Anthony Kennedy Blogs and Message Boards

SCOTUSblog: Posts about Anthony Kennedy
Wonkette: Posts about Anthony Kennedy
Think Progress: Posts about Anthony Kennedy
Redstate: Posts about Anthony Kennedy
Technorati: Anthony Kennedy

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