Skip to content
Search AI Powered

Latest Stories

This Political Cartoon of Justice Anthony Kennedy Says Everything About His Decision to Retire While Trump Is President

This Political Cartoon of Justice Anthony Kennedy Says Everything About His Decision to Retire While Trump Is President
United States Supreme Court Associate Justice Anthony Kennedy during a ceremony in the Rose Garden at the White House April 10, 2017 in Washington, DC. (Photo by Eric Thayer/Getty Images)

Oof.

In February, 1988, 51 year old judge Anthony Kennedy was sworn in as an associate justice for the Supreme Court of the United States (SCOTUS). Appointed by President Ronald Reagan, Kennedy announced his retirement, effective the end of July, on June 27, 2018.

At 81 years old, Kennedy is not the oldest member of the current court. That distinction belongs to President Bill Clinton appointee, Ruth Bader Ginsburg.


He is the longest serving though at over 30 years. The second longest serving is his fellow conservative justice, Clarence Thomas, a President George H. W. Bush appointee who approaches his 27th year on the SCOTUS bench.

Kennedy, considered conservative, came from a time when the bar for conservative skewed a bit further left than it does today. Republican Reagan proposed policies that would be considered liberal in President Donald Trump's Republican Party.

It is that shift of definitions that concerns many about Kennedy's choice to retire now, instead of during the administration of Barack Obama or after the 2020 elections or even just the 2018 midterms. Kennedy's announced retirement opens the door for Trump to appoint a second SCOTUS justice.

And this has many worried.

In a political cartoon by artist Trevor Irvin, Kennedy is shown with a now familiar slogan, thanks to First Lady Melania Trump's jacket, on the back of his judicial robe. It reads "I REALLY DON'T CARE DO U?", with the cartoon captioned, "Justice Kennedy Serves up his country."

The cartoon began making the rounds on Twitter and Facebook Thursday. Reactions are mixed to the statement it makes.

Justice Kennedy certainly served for a respectable amount of time. He also did not steal President Barack Obama's final SCOTUS appointment from him.

That honor goes to Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell; a fact McConnell is even using for his reelection campaign.

However Kennedy is aware of who can now name his successor and the politics of the current administration are no secret either. But why should a Republican appointment concern Kennedy?

As stated previously, Kennedy's version of conservative justice differs greatly from the current version of American conservatism. In recent years, Kennedy has been the swing vote on important cases, siding with his liberal leaning colleagues.

Meanwhile, Trump vowed again this year, while speaking to his evangelical Christian followers, to ensure their religious freedom to discriminate against others be pushed as a political agenda. He also promised to further restrict women's access to reproductive health services.

Any judge appointed by Trump is likely to support his agenda.

For that reason, some anger at Kennedy's choice to retire now, before the November elections where Democrats hope to flip the Senate and House, has drawn ire directed at Kennedy from liberals and moderates alike.

But the feeling is not universal.

But some people are bringing up questions about Justin Kennedy, Justice Kennedy's son.

Regardless of public opinion or questions on his motives, Kennedy will retire on July 31, 2018.

More from People/donald-trump

Donald Trump
Scott Olson/Getty Images

Fox News Just Listed Off Trump's 'Accomplishments' So Far—And They're Completely Bananas

As shown during coverage of a cabinet meeting when members spent time telling the President how great he is, MAGA Republican President Donald Trump's biggest priority is Donald Trump's image and ego.

Also caught on video was Trump telling a Fox News correspondent to make sure the network praised his cabinet meeting.

Keep ReadingShow less
Screenshot of Donald Trump and Terry Moran
ABC News

Trump Bizarrely Clashes With Reporter Over Photoshopped 'Tattoo' On Abrego Garcia's Knuckles

President Donald Trump sparked criticism after claiming during an interview with ABC News’ Terry Moran that an edited photo depicting tattoos of wrongly-deported Maryland father Kilmar Abrego Garcia showed that he has an alleged connection to the MS-13 gang.

Abrego Garcia, a Salvadoran national who arrived in the U.S. in 2012, was labeled a threat in 2019 due to an alleged connection to MS-13. He spent months in detention before an immigration judge found he had a credible fear of persecution—not from MS-13, but from a rival group, Barrio 18, which he said had been extorting his family.

Keep ReadingShow less
Karoline Leavitt; Jeff Bezos
Mandel Ngan/AFP via Getty Images; Michael M. Santiago/Getty Images

Leavitt Lashes Out At Amazon Over 'Hostile' Plan To Display Added Tariff Costs For Products On Website

White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt lashed out at Amazon over news that the commerce giant planned to display increased "import charges" on items on their Amazon Haul website, essentially showing to customers the extra money they'd have to shell out as a result of President Donald Trump's tariffs.

Trump has escalated a growing trade war by imposing tariffs of up to 145% on Chinese imports, prompting China to retaliate with its own 125% tariffs on American goods. Additionally, the U.S. has slapped a 10% tax on imports from most other countries, while temporarily suspending higher rates for several nations for 90 days.

Keep ReadingShow less
Screenshot of Canadian voter
CNN

Canadian Voter's Epic Take On Trump In Viral Interview Clip Has The Internet Cheering

A Canadian woman has gone viral following her NSFW interview with CNN in which she explained that her decision of whom to support for prime minister In Monday's election was based primarily on who could "take care of" President Donald Trump, who had threatened Canadian sovereignty amid an ongoing trade war.

In the end, Canadian voters returned the Liberal Party to power for a fourth consecutive term, although Prime Minister Mark Carney will lead a minority government, according to projections from CNN’s broadcast partner CBC.

Keep ReadingShow less
man and woman with cardboard boxes on their heads with faces drawn on them
julio andres rosario ortiz on Unsplash

People Describe The Most Unhinged Things They've Seen Someone Do In Public

One person's "most unhinged thing they've ever seen" is another person's everyday occurrence. It's all about perspective.

If you live 24/7 in an insane environment, unhinged starts to seem completely normal.

Keep ReadingShow less