ACLU Statement on Passing of Supreme Court Justice John Paul Stevens

NEW YORK — Justice John Paul Stevens died today at the age of 99.

David Cole, legal director at the American Civil Liberties Union, had the following response:

“The ACLU mourns the passing of Justice John Paul Stevens. At a time of bitter partisan divide, he reminds us that one can rise above one’s partisan identity, and that the great justices always do. Appointed by a Republican president, Justice Stevens became a stalwart defender of equal rights for all, reproductive rights for women, affirmative action, speech rights on the internet, and judicial review for Guantánamo detainees.

“Throughout his career, he was an independent thinker and a passionate advocate for the dispossessed. He will be missed, but his contributions will live on.”