John Paul Stevens, who retired in June as the second longest serving U.S. Supreme Court justice of the modern era, was a Republican appointee who over the years became the principal counterweight to the Court’s conservative majority.

On Tuesday, October 19, 2010, Rutgers School of Law–Newark will present a “brown bag” lunch colloquium with journalist Bill Barnhart, co-author of the new biography John Paul Stevens: An Independent Life. The book has been described by Pulitzer Prize- winning columnist and author Anthony Lewis as “an intriguing look at a judge little known to the public but crucial to our constitutional structure.”

In his presentation, Barnhart will discuss:
— The Supreme Court without Justice Stevens on the bench, comparing the retired Stevens with Justice Elena Kagan in style and politics as well as in votes, and
— Some of Justice Stevens’ best-known opinions, including Bush v. Gore and Citizens United v. Federal Election Commission, and personal history that define his independence.