Posted by Orin Kerr:
Supreme Court Justice Retirement Rumors -- in 1896:
http://volokh.com/archives/archive_2009_05_03-2009_05_09.shtml#1241417956
Recently I came across this New York Times article from January 21,
1896, and I thought readers might find it interesting:
JUSTICE FIELD NOT TO RETIRE
---
He Will Remain on the Bench So Long As He Works Easily.
WASHINGTON, Jan. 21. -- Associate Justice Stephen J. Field of the
United States Supreme Court, in regard to whose retirement rumors
have been published for many years, authorizes a denial of the
latest statement to that effect, which was published this morning.
The venerable jurist says:
"Of course, a man at my time of life might retire from the bench
at any time. If my health should not permit me to attend to my
duties easily, I should not hesitate to leave the bench, but so
long as I can attend to these duties with ease, I have no intent of
retiring."
Born in 1816, and appointed to the Supreme Court by Abraham
Lincoln in 1863, Justice Field has long since passed the limit
entitling him to retire on full pay whenever he so desires. Only
Chief Justice Marshall and Justice Story have exceeded him in
length of service, and they only by a few months.
Field retired about two years later, incidentally. If you [1]follow
the succession of his seat, it went to Justice McKenna, then Stone,
Robert Jackson, Harlan II, Rehnquist as an Associate Justice, and then
presently to Justice Scalia.
References
1.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Justices_of_the_Supreme_Court_of_the_United_States_by_seat
_______________________________________________
Volokh mailing list
[email protected]
http://lists.powerblogs.com/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/volokh
