Justice Kennedy\u27s Prose – Style and Substance

Supreme Court Justice Anthony Kennedy\u27s retirement in June 2018 sent shockwaves throughout America. After Justice Sandra Day O\u27Connor left the Court in 2005, Justice Kennedy became the Court\u27s all-important swing vote in virtually every important area of constitutional law. His views on affirmative action, abortion, campaign finance reform, free speech, and the separation of church and state (among many other constitutional issues) were the ones that mattered the most among the Justices. Lawyers prepared arguments and filed briefs in the Supreme Court for the main purpose of persuading Justice Kennedy to rule for their clients. He was, quite simply, the most important and powerful judge in the United States. On October 15, 2018, the Georgia State University College of Law, along with the Georgia State University Law Review, held a conference devoted to Justice Kennedy\u27s judicial legacy. Some of this country\u27s most prominent constitutional law professors from all over the political spectrum gathered to discuss and debate many different aspects of Justice Kennedy\u27s thirty-year career, including his unique prose, his status as the Court\u27s swing vote, and his important opinions