This article is about the associate justice of the U.S. Supreme Court. For the 19th-century United States senator, see Anthony Kennedy (Maryland politician).
"Justice Kennedy" redirects here. For other uses, see Justice Kennedy (disambiguation).
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 May 30, 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 87) Sacramento, California, U.S.
Spouse
Mary Davis
(m. 1963)
Children
3
Education
Stanford University (BA)
London School of Economics
Harvard University (LLB)
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 Kennedy's voice
Anthony Kennedy addressing cameras in the courtroom before the U.S. House Appropriations Committee Recorded May 23, 2015
Anthony McLeod Kennedy (born July 23, 1936) is an American attorney and jurist who served as an associate justice of the Supreme Court of the United States from 1988 until his retirement in 2018. He was nominated to the court in 1987 by President Ronald Reagan, and sworn in on February 18, 1988. After the retirement of Sandra Day O'Connor in 2006, he was considered the swing vote on many of the Roberts Court's 5–4 decisions.
Born in Sacramento, California, Kennedy took over his father's legal practice in Sacramento after graduating from Stanford University and Harvard Law School. Kennedy became a U.S. federal judge in 1975 when President Gerald Ford appointed him to the United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit. In November 1987, after two failed attempts at nominating a successor to Associate Justice Lewis F. Powell Jr., President Reagan nominated Kennedy to the Supreme Court. Kennedy won unanimous confirmation from the United States Senate in February 1988. Following the death of Antonin Scalia in February 2016, Kennedy became the senior associate justice of the court; he remained the senior associate justice until his July 2018 retirement. Kennedy retired during the presidency of Donald Trump and was succeeded by his former law clerk, Brett Kavanaugh. Following O'Connor's death in 2023, Kennedy is the oldest living former Supreme Court justice.
Kennedy authored the majority opinion in several important cases—including Boumediene v. Bush, Citizens United v. FEC, and four major gay rights cases: Romer v. Evans, Lawrence v. Texas, United States v. Windsor, and Obergefell v. Hodges. He also co-authored the controlling opinion in Planned Parenthood v. Casey along with Justices Sandra Day O’Connor and David Souter.
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"U.S. Senate Roll Call Votes — Nomination of AnthonyKennedy" (PDF). senate.gov. "Anthony M. Kennedy". Supreme Court Historical Society. 1999. Archived...
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senator from Massachusetts John Kennedy (Louisiana politician) (born 1951), U.S. senator from Louisiana AnthonyKennedy (born 1936), U.S. Supreme Court...
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reunited again in a mansion in Cyprus. Bethan Kershaw, Amelia Lily, AnthonyKennedy and Louis Shan did not return to the show after the previous season...
presenter Anthony Kearns, Irish singer AnthonyKennedy, American lawyer and jurist Anthony Kenny, British philosopher Anthony Kiedis, American musician, singer...
White and AnthonyKennedy from 1993 to 1994. He is the first Supreme Court justice to serve alongside a justice for whom he once clerked (Kennedy). During...
previous lists of potential nominees. In June 2018, Associate Justice AnthonyKennedy announced his retirement, creating a second vacancy on the Supreme...
Jacqueline "Jackie" Lee Kennedy Onassis (née Bouvier /ˈbuːvieɪ/; July 28, 1929 – May 19, 1994) was an American writer, book editor, and socialite who...
born February 2004; George Skakel Kennedy, born April 2007; and Anthony Boru Kennedy, born January 2012. Kennedy graduated from Georgetown Preparatory...
living retired associate justices: David Souter, retired June 29, 2009; AnthonyKennedy, retired July 31, 2018; and Stephen Breyer, retired June 30, 2022....
season. For the twenty-first season, new cast members Amelia Lily, AnthonyKennedy, and Louis Shaw joined the cast. Nathalie Phillips left the program...
to 1989, Sandra Day O’Connor (dark brown line) from 1999 to 2005, AnthonyKennedy (green line) from 2006 to 2017, John Roberts (black line) in 2018 and...
Edward Moore Kennedy (February 22, 1932 – August 25, 2009) was an American lawyer and politician who served as a United States senator from Massachusetts...
Global Information
United States
United States Army
Private first class
California Army National Guard