Happy Birthday Justice Stevens

Last week United States Supreme Court Justice John Paul Stevens celebrated his 87th birthday. At 87 Stevens is the third oldest Justice in Supreme Court history. The record is held by Oliver Wendell Holmes, who was 90 when he retired from the Court. Stevens is currently the longest serving member of the Court (31 years), but he would need to serve until 2012 to break the record of service held by Justice William O Douglas (36 years). Students may remember that one is appointed to the Federal Court in the United States for life. Most judges take this seriously and either die in office or retire well beyond the "normal" age of retirement. These lifetime appointments are somewhat unique in the Common Law system. Judges in England must retire at age 70, while Supreme Court Justices in Canada must step down upon reaching age 75.