Conservative pundit and #NeverTrump ringleader Bill Kristol says the cost of Supreme Court Associate Justice Anthony Kennedy’s retirement may outweigh its benefit.
In a tweet Wednesday, Mr. Kristol said he will probably prefer the jurisprudence of Mr. Kennedy’s eventual successor, but worried the fight for the vacant seat could add to an already polarized political climate.
I’d probably prefer the jurisprudence of Trump’s pick to that of Kennedy. But given that the debate—or should I say the war?—over his successor is going to intensify an overheated political culture and hyper-partisan political system, I’m inclined to wish Kennedy hadn’t retired.
— Bill Kristol (@BillKristol) June 27, 2018
Justice Kennedy announced his retirement Wednesday, the last day of the court’s current term.
“For a member of the legal profession, it is the highest of honors to serve on this Court,” the justice wrote in a letter to the president. “Please permit me by this letter to express my profound gratitude for having had the privilege to seek in each case how best to know, interpret and defend the Constitution and the laws that must always conform to its mandates and promises.”
The retirement of Mr. Kennedy, considered court’s swing vote and the author of contentious opinions on abortion, gay marriage and affirmative action, gives conservatives the chance to take long-term control of the highest court.
Speaking to reporters Wednesday, President Trump said he would choose a nominee from the previously released list of 25 candidates.
• Bradford Richardson can be reached at brichardson@washingtontimes.com.
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