SUPREME COURT/TRUMP AS PRESIDENT: “Supreme Court Justice Anthony Kennedy said on Wednesday [6-27-18] he plans to retire after three decades as a pivotal vote on the highest U.S. judicial body, giving President Donald Trump an opportunity to make the court more firmly conservative. Kennedy, who turns 82 in July and is the second-oldest justice on the nine-member court, has become one of the most consequential American jurists since joining the court in 1988 as an appointee of Republican President Ronald Reagan. A traditional conservative, he advanced gay rights, buttressed abortion rights and erased political spending limits. His retirement, which takes effect on July 31, gives Trump a second Supreme Court appointment in his 17 months in office after the Republican president last year selected Neil Gorsuch, who has already become one of the most conservative justices.”
–Lawrence Hurley, “Justice Kennedy to retire, Trump has chance to reshape U.S. high court,” Reuters, June 27, 2018 11:08 am