By the CNN Wire Staff
April 9, 2010 4:13 p.m. EDT
(CNN) -- Supreme Court Justice John Paul Stevens, who announced his retirement Friday, has served as a central liberal voice on the high court, at times leading negotiations to sway opinions on critical cases -- and ultimately having a remarkable impact on the court and on society at large.
After joining the court in 1975, the choice of President Gerald Ford, a Republican, Stevens went on to become "an unexpected liberal -- someone who moved to the left as the court moved to the right," said Jeffrey Toobin, CNN senior legal analyst.
But in Stevens' view, it is the court that changed, said Toobin, who recently interviewed Stevens. "I think there is something to support that view -- there are certainly areas of the law where the court has changed," Toobin said. "I also think he has changed."
Stevens "became the leader of the liberals on the court," a staunch defender of abortion rights and affirmative action, said Toobin. One decision he'll most likely be remembered for is striking down the Bush administration's treatment of detainees at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, said Toobin. Also a memorable part of Steven's legacy is the lead dissenting opinion he wrote in Bush v. Gore -- the case that ended the contested presidential election of 2000.
Full Story: http://www.cnn.com/2010/POLITICS/04/09/stevens.biography/index.html?hpt=T1
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