John Paul Stevens was one of the longest-serving justices on the U.S. Supreme Court. He was on the court for 35 years, from 1975 to 2010. He retired at the age of 90. Stevens died on Tuesday at the age of 99. The Associated Press reports that Stevens’ political thinking moved left as the court’s ideas moved right. He belonged to the generally conservative Republican Party. Republican president Gerald Ford nominated him to the Supreme Court. He wore bow ties a kind of neckwear that some Americans connect to conservative or traditional culture. And he himself told the New York Times in 2007, “I don’t think of myself as a liberal at all. I think as part of my general politics, I’m pretty darn conservative.” When Stevens began his time on the court, he held historically conservative views, criticizing affirmative action and supporting the death penalty. But in time, he changed his mind about both. He also spoke strongly in favor of some historically liberal ideas, such as abortion rights and the separation of government and religion.
