Supreme Court Sluggers: John Paul Stevens is No Stephen J. Field

Green Bag 2d, Vol. 13, No. 4, pp. 463-480, Summer 2010

George Mason Law & Economics Research Paper No. 10-28

19 Pages Posted: 29 Jun 2010

See all articles by Ross E. Davies

Ross E. Davies

George Mason University - Antonin Scalia Law School; The Green Bag

Craig D. Rust

George Mason University, School of Law, Alumni

Adam Aft

George Mason University - School of Law, Alumni

Date Written: June 29, 2010

Abstract

Assessing the great length of John Paul Stevens’s service as a Supreme Court Justice (34 years, 6 months, 10 days) should involve more than just adding up time. By the calendar, he is in third place on the list of longest-serving members of the Court, just behind Stephen J. Field (34 years, 6 months, 11 days) and further behind William O. Douglas (36 years, 6 months, 26 days). An argument might be made, however, that Stevens’s length-of-service ranking should be higher – that he ought to be recognized as standing a little bit ahead of Field, and perhaps closer to Douglas as well. It is an argument that depends on what it means to “serve” on the Court. After all, it is “Service[]” that the Constitution expects of the “Judges, both of the supreme and inferior Courts.”

Keywords: Abraham Lincoln, Charles Evans Hughes, Chicago Cubs, Citizens United v. Federal Election Commission, Gabby Hartnett, Gerald Ford, Grover Cleveland, John Marshall Harlan, Morrison R. Waite, Nathan Clifford, trading cards, Ward Hunt, Washington Post, William McKinley, Wood v. Railroad Company

JEL Classification: K20, K21, K23, K40

Suggested Citation

Davies, Ross E. and Rust, Craig D. and Aft, Adam, Supreme Court Sluggers: John Paul Stevens is No Stephen J. Field (June 29, 2010). Green Bag 2d, Vol. 13, No. 4, pp. 463-480, Summer 2010, George Mason Law & Economics Research Paper No. 10-28, Available at SSRN: https://ssrn.com/abstract=1632428

Ross E. Davies (Contact Author)

George Mason University - Antonin Scalia Law School ( email )

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Arlington, VA 22201
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The Green Bag ( email )

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HOME PAGE: http://www.greenbag.org

Craig D. Rust

George Mason University, School of Law, Alumni ( email )

3301 Fairfax Drive
Arlington, VA 22201

Adam Aft

George Mason University - School of Law, Alumni ( email )

3301 Fairfax Drive
Arlington, VA 22201
United States

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