[*Anya*]

Yes, another reason why Trump's election as president was a disaster for us.

I got an urgent email from the ACLU:

Justice Anthony M. Kennedy just announced his retirement, leaving a Supreme Court vacancy at a critical moment in our country's history. Whomever President Trump appoints to replace him will impact our civil rights and civil liberties for generations to come.

In the next few years, the Court may decide on everything from access to the ballot box to the future of Roe v. Wade.

So while we're focused on continuing to fight in the courts, we need to show up in the streets and to the polls. Elections are more important than ever, and if today doesn’t prove that fact to you, I don't know what will.

Originally Posted by BullDog

I am cross-posting because this is absolutely horrendous news:

America after Anthony Kennedy

What Kennedy’s departure will mean for abortion, gay rights, and more.

Anthony Kennedy, the longest-serving member of the Supreme Court, is retiring.

Kennedy has, since at least 2005, been the swing vote on many of the Court’s most ideologically charged decisions, responsible for 5-4 rulings that legalized same-sex marriage, preserved Roe v. Wade, upheld warrantless wiretapping, blew up campaign finance restrictions, overturned DC’s handgun ban, and weakened the Voting Rights Act. That position has made him one of the most powerful people in America for well over a decade now, not even counting the 18 years he shared his position as the Court’s swing voter with Sandra Day O’Connor.

But Kennedy, who turns 82 this July, is already the 14th longest-serving justice (out of 113) in the Court’s history. President Donald Trump reportedly nominated Neil Gorsuch, a former Kennedy clerk, to the Court in part to reassure Kennedy that he could trust Trump with picking his replacement. It’s not surprising he decided it was ultimately time to go.

rest of article:

https://www.vox.com/policy-and-polit...-supreme-court