TexasBill
Member
John Paul Stevens, the leading liberal on the U.S. Supreme Court, has decided to retire at the end of the current session. Stevens was appointed by President Ford in 1975 and will turn 90 on April 20. In his letter of resignation, Stevens said he hopes his successor can be appointed before the next session opens in October. In other words, President Obama will likely be able to appoint a second Supreme Court Justice before the November elections.
What does this mean for gun control, especially the McDonald vs. Chicago case? Nothing at the moment, because the Court is expected to rule in June before the summer recess. The betting is still on the Court to decide the Second Amendment is binding on the states.
A likely candidate to replace Stevens would be Elena Kagan, currently U.S. Solicitor-General. Kagan supported the Supreme Court's decision in Heller, which struck down Washington, D.C. ban hasn't really made much of a splash on the gun control issue, but she is definitely on the political left.
So don't start a run on the gun stores just yet; a favorable Supreme Court decision in June could take years to unravel as states try to figure out what level of gun control is Constitutional, but be aware the President is getting to choose a second Supreme and could very easily get to appoint one or two more before his first term ends.
What does this mean for gun control, especially the McDonald vs. Chicago case? Nothing at the moment, because the Court is expected to rule in June before the summer recess. The betting is still on the Court to decide the Second Amendment is binding on the states.
A likely candidate to replace Stevens would be Elena Kagan, currently U.S. Solicitor-General. Kagan supported the Supreme Court's decision in Heller, which struck down Washington, D.C. ban hasn't really made much of a splash on the gun control issue, but she is definitely on the political left.
So don't start a run on the gun stores just yet; a favorable Supreme Court decision in June could take years to unravel as states try to figure out what level of gun control is Constitutional, but be aware the President is getting to choose a second Supreme and could very easily get to appoint one or two more before his first term ends.
