Anthony Kennedy facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Anthony Kennedy
Official portrait, c. 2005
Associate Justice of the Supreme Court of the United States
In office February 18, 1988 – July 31, 2018
Nominated by	Ronald Reagan
Preceded by	Lewis F. Powell Jr.
Succeeded by	Brett Kavanaugh
Judge of the United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit
In office March 24, 1975 – February 18, 1988
Nominated by	Gerald Ford
Preceded by	Charles Merton Merrill
Succeeded by	Pamela Ann Rymer
Personal details
Born	Anthony McLeod Kennedy (1936-07-23) July 23, 1936 (age 88) Sacramento, California, U.S.
Spouse	Mary Davis ​ (m. 1963)​
Children	3
Education	Stanford University (BA) London School of Economics Harvard University (LLB)
Awards	Henry J. Friendly Medal (2019)
Signature
Military service
Allegiance	United States
Branch/service	United States Army
Years of service	1961–1962
Rank	Private first class
Unit	California Army National Guard

Anthony McLeod Kennedy (born July 23, 1936) is an American lawyer and judge. He served as an associate justice on the Supreme Court of the United States for 30 years, from 1988 until he retired in 2018.

President Ronald Reagan chose him for the Supreme Court in 1987. Justice Kennedy became known as a "swing vote" on the Court. This means his vote often decided the outcome in close cases, especially after Justice Sandra Day O'Connor retired in 2006.

Justice Kennedy was born in Sacramento, California. He took over his father's law practice after studying at Stanford University and Harvard Law School. In 1975, President Gerald Ford appointed him as a federal judge to the United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit. He was later nominated to the Supreme Court and approved by the United States Senate without any votes against him.

During his time on the Supreme Court, Justice Kennedy wrote important opinions on many topics. These included cases about free speech, environmental protection, and LGBTQ+ rights. He retired in 2018 and was replaced by Brett Kavanaugh.

Early Life and Education

Anthony Kennedy grew up in Sacramento, California, in an Irish Catholic family. His father was a lawyer, and his mother was active in their community. As a child, he met important politicians, including Earl Warren, who later became the Chief Justice of the United States. Kennedy even worked as a page in the California State Senate when he was young.

He went to C. K. McClatchy High School and graduated with honors in 1954. After high school, Kennedy attended Stanford University, where he became very interested in constitutional law. He spent his last year of college at the London School of Economics before graduating from Stanford in 1958. He then went to Harvard Law School and earned his law degree in 1961.

Early Career in Law

After law school, Kennedy worked as a private lawyer in San Francisco from 1961 to 1963. When his father passed away in 1963, he took over his father's law practice in Sacramento. He ran this practice until 1975.

From 1965 to 1988, he also taught constitutional law at the McGeorge School of Law at the University of the Pacific. During this time, he helped Ronald Reagan, who was then the Governor of California, with a state tax plan. Kennedy also served in the California Army National Guard for a year, becoming a private first class.

Becoming a Federal Judge

In 1975, Governor Ronald Reagan suggested Anthony Kennedy for a judge position. President Gerald Ford then nominated Kennedy to be a judge on the United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit. This court hears appeals from federal courts in several western states.

The U.S. Senate approved his nomination quickly and without any opposing votes on March 20, 1975. He officially became a judge on March 24, 1975.

Joining the Supreme Court

How Justice Kennedy Was Chosen

In 1987, a Supreme Court justice named Lewis F. Powell Jr. retired. President Ronald Reagan needed to choose a new justice. His first two choices did not get approved by the Senate. So, on November 11, 1987, President Reagan nominated Anthony Kennedy.

President Reagan and Kennedy meeting in the Oval Office on November 11, 1987

Kennedy's background was checked very carefully, but nothing was found that would stop him from being approved. His hearings before the Senate Judiciary Committee started on December 14 and lasted only three days.

When the Senate voted on Kennedy's nomination, he received support from both major political parties. He was approved by a vote of 97 to 0 on February 3, 1988. This makes him the most recent Supreme Court justice to be approved by a unanimous vote. He officially joined the Court on February 18, 1988.

Important Decisions and Ideas

Justice Kennedy wrote the main opinion in many important Supreme Court cases. He was often seen as a "swing vote" because his decisions could go either way, making him a key player in many 5-4 decisions.

Protecting Free Speech

Justice Kennedy believed strongly in protecting free speech. He wrote opinions that said the government generally cannot stop people from saying what they think, even if it's a false statement, unless it causes direct harm.

For example, in a case about people claiming to have military medals they didn't earn, Kennedy wrote that a law punishing such false claims was unconstitutional. He argued that the government couldn't just ban all false statements on one topic.

Protecting LGBTQ+ Rights

Justice Kennedy played a very important role in cases about LGBTQ+ rights. He wrote the main opinion in four major cases that expanded these rights:

• Romer v. Evans: This case stopped a state law that would have made it harder to protect LGBTQ+ people from discrimination.
• Lawrence v. Texas: This decision said that laws banning certain private acts between consenting adults were unconstitutional.
• United States v. Windsor: This case struck down a part of a law that defined marriage only as between a man and a woman for federal purposes.
• Obergefell v. Hodges: This landmark decision ruled that the right to marry is guaranteed to same-sex couples by the U.S. Constitution.

Government Contractors and Free Speech

In one case, O'Hare Truck Service, Inc. v. City of Northlake, Justice Kennedy wrote that independent businesses working for the government have the same free speech protections as government employees. This means the government cannot fire a contractor just because they supported a different political candidate, unless it directly affects their work.

Campaign Finance Rules

Justice Kennedy also wrote the majority opinion in Citizens United v. FEC. This case was about how much money corporations and unions can spend on political campaigns. The Court decided that limiting how much they could spend on independent political ads was a violation of free speech. This decision led to the creation of "Super PACs," which can raise and spend unlimited amounts of money to influence elections.

Public Speaking and Teaching

Besides his work on the Supreme Court, Justice Kennedy also spoke publicly about legal issues. He called for changes to improve American prisons.

Every summer, he taught international and American law in Salzburg, Austria, as part of a program for the McGeorge School of Law. He also attended a large yearly meeting of international judges there.

In 2005, he received the Golden Plate Award from the American Academy of Achievement. In 2015, he recorded an interview for Historic Mount Vernon about George Washington's role in the U.S. Constitution.

Personal Life

Anthony Kennedy married Mary Jeanne Davis on June 23, 1963. They have three children: Justin, Gregory, and Kristin. All three of their children, and Mary Kennedy, are graduates of Stanford University.

Mary Kennedy was a third-grade teacher in Sacramento. Their sons, Justin and Gregory, both had careers in finance. Justice Kennedy is one of 15 Roman Catholics who have served on the Supreme Court.

Images for kids

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  Official portrait, 2005

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  Cursive signature in ink

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  Private first class rank insignia

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  California Army National Guard emblem

See Also

In Spanish: Anthony Kennedy para niños