Stevens, who served in the Navy during WWII, laid in repose in the Great Hall of the Supreme Court of the United States on Monday, July 22, prior to his burial.
There is no shortage of praise for Stevens as the legal community remembers his judicial service and career. Members of the Supreme Court spoke highly of his character and legal acumen, with Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg calling him the “model” jurist. “Circulations from other chambers invariably took precedence over all else on his work table. His manner at oral argument typified both his civility and the quality of his mind. He preceded his questions with the politest ‘May I . . .,’ then invited advocates to train their attention on the issue likely to be dispositive,” she said in a statement. “In a Capital City with no shortage of self-promoters, Justice Stevens set a different tone. Quick as his bright mind was, Justice Stevens remained a genuinely gentle and modest man.”
Retired Justice David H. Souter was succinct in his praise and admiration for Stevens, stating simply: “He was the soul of principle and an irreplaceable friend.”
According to the American Bar Association (ABA), Stevens was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 2012 by President Barack Obama and remained active in the legal community even after retiring in 2010. “From his service in the Navy during World War II for which he won the Bronze Star, to his clerkship for Supreme Court Justice Wiley Rutledge in 1947, to his tenure as a judge of the United States Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit from 1970-75, Justice Stevens always stood up for justice and against corruption,” reads a statement from the ABA. “After being nominated for the Supreme Court by President Gerald Ford in 1975, Justice Stevens went on to serve 35 years on the Court, the third-longest span in history.”
Ginsburg recalled a letter from President Gerald Ford on the 30th anniversary of Stevens’ appointment in which Ford proudly invited historians to consider his nomination of Stevens when evaluating his presidency. “Like the President who appointed him, Justice Stevens was a patriotic son of the Midwest who performed his constitutional duties with quiet dignity. Justice Stevens’ contributions to the law are immense and will guide this Court’s decisions for years to come,” said Justice Brett M. Kavanaugh. “But for those who appeared before him in court or who sat beside him as judges, the most distinctive Stevens quality was his civility. In court, he treated others with extraordinary respect and established an enduring model of decency and courtesy for all judges and lawyers."
David Cole, legal director at the American Civil Liberties Union, called upon Stevens’ ability to rise above political divisiveness to do the court’s work. “At a time of bitter partisan divide, he reminds us that one can rise above one’s partisan identity, and that the great justices always do,” said Cole. “Appointed by a Republican president, Justice Stevens became a stalwart defender of equal rights for all, reproductive rights for women, affirmative action, speech rights on the internet, and judicial review for Guantánamo detainees.”
According to the ABA, the trade group’s Death Penalty Representation Project named its Guiding Hand of Counsel award for him, which “recognizes individual attorneys who have demonstrated the kind of courage and commitment associated with Justice Stevens.”