SJR71: Joint Resolution Text

LRB-4714/1

CMH:cdc

2019 - 2020 LEGISLATURE

2019 Senate JOINT RESOLUTION 71

October 31, 2019 - Introduced by Senators Carpenter, Wirch, Larson and Risser, cosponsored by Representatives Spreitzer, Riemer, Anderson, Bowen, Crowley, Goyke, Gruszynski, Hebl, Hintz, Kolste, McGuire, Milroy, Neubauer, Pope, Shankland, Sinicki, Stubbs, Stuck, Subeck, C. Taylor, Tusler, Vruwink and Zamarripa. Referred to Committee on Senate Organization.

SJR71,1,2 Relating to: commending the exemplary life and service of Justice John Paul Stevens.

SJR71,1,4 Whereas, Supreme Court Justice John Paul Stevens was born April 20, 1920, in Chicago, Illinois, and passed on July 16, 2019; and

SJR71,1,6 Whereas, Justice Stevens graduated with honors from the University of Chicago; and

SJR71,1,9 Whereas, Justice Stevens left his studies to serve his country in the United States Navy, enlisting on December 6th, 1941, earning the rank of Lieutenant Commander and receiving a Bronze Star for his exceptional service; and

SJR71,1,12 Whereas, upon the conclusion of his service, Justice Stevens returned to Illinois, began studying law at the Northwestern University School of Law, and graduated with the highest GPA in the history of the school in 1947; and

SJR71,2,2 Whereas, Justice Stevens became a leading expert in antitrust laws, working against monopoly overreach in industries across the country including serving as associate counsel to an antitrust subcommittee of the United States House of Representatives; and

SJR71,2,6 Whereas, Justice Stevens was a diligent litigator who was called upon to investigate corruption in the Illinois Supreme Court, resulting in the prosecution of both the former Chief Justice and then-current Chief Justice of the Illinois Supreme Court; and

SJR71,2,10 Whereas, Justice Stevens was appointed to the Seventh Circuit Court of Appeals by President Richard Nixon in 1970, where he served until being nominated for the Supreme Court of the United States by President Gerald Ford and unanimously approved by the United States Senate in 1975; and

SJR71,2,15 Whereas, Justice Stevens served as a model for all justices as his quiet humility outside of the Supreme Court Chambers was paired with intense, deliberate questioning that challenged all of those who came before the court and followed by fearless dissenting opinions that were first drafted by Justice Stevens rather than by a clerk; and

SJR71,2,24 Whereas, Justice Stevens's history of thorough briefs included notable decisions such as majority opinions in Chevron U.S.A., Inc. v. Natural Resources Defense Council, Inc., Clinton v. Jones, Clinton v. City of New York, Ferguson v. City of Charleston, Atkins v. Virginia, Watchtower Bible & Tract Society of New York, Inc. v. Village of Stratton, Rasul v. Bush, Hamdan v. Rumsfeld, and Massachusetts v. Environmental Protection Agency, as well as his detailed and rigorous dissents in Bowers v. Hardwick, Texas v. Johnson, Bush v. Gore, and District of Columbia v. Heller, as well as his concurrence/dissents in Planned Parenthood v. Casey and Citizens United v. Federal Election Commission; now, therefore, be it

SJR71,3,4 Resolved by the senate, the assembly concurring, That the members of the Wisconsin legislature recognize the exemplary service Justice John Paul Stevens rendered to our country through his sustained diligence and belief in the ability of the United States to strive to meet the lofty ideals laid out in our Constitution.

SJR71,3,5 (End)