Well, folks, it's been in the cards for a while, and Supreme Court Justice John Paul Stevens, at the ripe old age of 89, is finally throwing in the towel this summer, setting the stage for another Senate fight over activist judges, etc. The NYT wrote about Stevens last weekend, knowing this retirement announcement was coming since the fall when Stevens hired only one instead of his usual four clerks.

Stevens, who was appointed by Republican President Gerald Ford, has become the cornerstone of the court's liberal wing over the years, always writing the first drafts of his decisions and dissenting loudly in cases like the recent campaign finance reform brouhaha.

As the AP reports, "The leading candidates to replace Stevens are Solicitor General Elena Kagan, 49, and federal appellate Judges Merrick Garland, 57, in Washington and Diane Wood, 59, in Chicago."

Obviously, replacing Stevens isn't going to swing the court's ideological balance, but we'll count ourselves among the goddamn glad that the old coot stayed alive and sprightly through those long eight years that care not to speak of.