Anthony Kennedy Was Useless
Trump will replace Anthony Kennedy with a ghoul. But nobody should shed any tears over his retirement.
Supreme Court Associate Justice Anthony Kennedy is seen during a ceremony in the Rose Garden at the White House April 10, 2017 in Washington, DC. Eric Thayer / Getty
Whoever President Trump chooses to replace Justice Anthony Kennedy will undoubtedly be a ghoul of the most nightmarish quality. But nobody should shed any tears for the loss of Kennedy himself.
He was a fierce partisan for the destruction of what’s left of the New Deal who happened to have a soft spot in his heart for gay people. He has a long list of greatest hits — Kennedy gave us President George Bush, of course. But more recently, in his retirement year, Kennedy did not even once join the liberal side of the 5-4 decisions for which this court will be infamous.
Besides Bush v. Gore, I will always remember Kennedy’s apparent glee in the destruction of unions evident in his comments during the Janus v. AFSCME hearing. There, the following exchange took place between Kennedy and union lawyer David Frederick:
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