AS SEEN ON TV: JOHN PAUL STEVENS

JUSTICE JOHN PAUL STEVENS

AS SEEN IN:
"Recount"

AS PLAYED BY:
William Schallert

After 34 years on the bench, Supreme Court Justice John Paul Stevens announced his retirement last Friday. Following the announcement many names are being considered to replace him, according to an article on cnn.com.

Stevens was born in Chicago, Ill., in 1920 and earned his bachelor's degree at the University of Chicago. He went on to attain his law degree from Northwestern University, according to the article.

Stevens is the oldest member of the Supreme Court. He was chosen by Republican President Gerald Ford in 1975, but then became a liberal voice on the court, according to the article. He is known for his dissent in the Bush v. Gore case ruling and his involvement in FCC v. Pacifica.

FCC v. Pacifica, was based on comedian George Carlin and his routine about "seven dirty words," words he said were taboo in society. Stevens upheld the government's ability to regulate indecent speech, which Stevens defined as any description of "sexual or excretory activities or organs" that are offensive "as measured by contemporary community standards."

Recently, Stevens has not upheld such strong government censorship. In 1997, Stevens struck down Congress' attempt to protect children from pornography on the Internet. Stevens said it violated the free speech rights of adults, according to the article.
(Chelsea Bower, The Critograph)

I'm happy for any reason to feature William Schallert here at Inner Toob.....

BCnU!