CBA Record Sept-Oct 2019

vote. He decided not to accept the bar post; he feared a possible conflict of interest. However, he remained active in various bar associations and participated in their edu- cational matters until 1975, when he was appointed to the United States Supreme Court by President Ford, again with the unanimous vote of the Senate. John Paul Stevens returned to Chicago fromWashington on many occasions that involved legal meetings, and almost always to meet with and congratulate the recipi- ents of the Justice John Paul Stevens Award established by his law clerks, which has become the most prestigious award offered by the CBA. It is awarded to lawyers and judges who meet the highest standards affecting the law and justice, modeled after John Paul Stevens’ approach to both. No one had to wonder where John Paul Stevens stood on any question of law that came before the court. He expressed himself distinctly, completely, and in a non-combative manner. His questions to counsel during oral arguments were polite, short, and to the point. He was unfailingly respectful to his brothers and sisters on the bench and the lawyers appearing before him. He had a deep respect for, and an adherence to, the rules of law, including the Constitution and the laws drafted

There is no prescribed formula to prepare a man or a woman to serve on the Supreme Court. But if there were a training ground, John Paul Stevens has blazed the way. He was born in Chicago 99 years ago and attended the University of Chicago Academy before attending the undergradu- ate school where he received a degree in English Literature, Phi Beta Kappa. Almost immediately after graduation, he was com- missioned in the United States Navy and was assigned to Hawaii as a code breaker during the Second World War. This is one of the most difficult intellectual jobs in the Navy. It is a position that gets neither glory nor publicity. It is done in secret, and what is discovered remains an absolute secret. But it was necessary work that was extremely important in our winning the war. When John Paul Stevens left the Navy in 1945, he enrolled in Northwestern Law School. In a period of a little more than two years, he received his J.D. magna cum laude. As far as I can remember, he achieved the highest academic record in the history of Northwestern Law School. Upon graduation he served as a clerk to Supreme Court Associate Justice Wiley Blount Rutledge, Jr., where he learned the mores and eccentricities of the Supreme Court. He then returned to Chicago and was associated with Poppenhusen, John- ston, Thompson & Raymond (which, in the 1960s, would become Jenner &Block), a great law firm that dealt with all parts of the law. Eventually, he and some other members of the firm who were interested in antitrust law created their own law firm (Rothschild, Stevens, Barry &Myers). He lectured on a regular basis at both North- western and The University of Chicago Colleges of Law on antitrust law. CBA Leadership During those early years in Chicago, and even later ones, he was heavily involved with bar associations, most particularly the Chicago Bar Association, where he had been elected to serve as President when President Nixon appointed him to the United States Court of Appeals. He was approved by the Senate by a unanimous

by Congress. On a personal note, he was one of the nicest, kindest men I ever met. He genuinely liked people, particularly lawyers. So far as I know, he never lost his temper publicly. But he had strong feelings of right and wrong and expressed those rather completely. He was a consum- mate lawyer, a consummate judge, and a consummate friend. His contributions to law and to life in general will continue if our present legal system is in being – and may that be a long long time. And to show that he was not simply a one-theme intellectual human being, he was also a masters tournament bridge player, a devoted Cubs fan, a great golfer, a licensed private pilot, a ping pong player, a tennis player, an avid swimmer, and above all, a very nice man. Whatever gods may be, send us more lawyers and judges – men and women – who are modeled after John Paul Stevens. We shall miss him. William Joseph Bauer is a Senior United States Circuit Judge of the United States Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit in Chicago and previously a United States District Judge of the United States District Court for the Northern District of Illinois.

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