Stevens Filled a Supreme Court Role That Seems Unthinkable Now

Unanimous confirmation contrasts with today’s partisan rancor
Late justice shifted left after nomination by Republican Ford

John Paul Stevens, center, at his confirmation hearing on Dec. 8, 1975.Photographer: Douglas Chevalier/The Washington Post via Getty Images

Provide news feedback or report an error

Confidential tip?

Send a tip to our reporters

Site feedback:

Take our Survey

By Greg Stohr

July 17, 2019 at 5:42 PM UTC

This article is for subscribers only.

When the Senate considered John Paul Stevens’s 1975 nomination to the U.S. Supreme Court, he didn’t get a single question about the Roe v. Wade abortion-rights decision issued less than three years earlier.

And even though Stevens was replacing a polarizing justice appointed by a president from the opposite party, his nomination sailed through the Senate, which confirmed him 98-0 only 19 days after his selection by Republican President Gerald Ford.