Article snippet: Supreme Court Justice Anthony Kennedy announced his retirement on Wednesday, handing MORE and the GOP Senate an opportunity to shift the nation’s high court to the right for decades. Kennedy, whom President Reagan nominated to the court in 1987, has for years been the court’s swing vote in a series of landmark 5-4 decisions, siding with conservatives to protect religious liberty and settle the outcome of the 2000 presidential election but with Democrats on issues ranging from same-sex marriage to the right to an abortion. His retirement at the age of 81 immediately triggered a furious confirmation battle that is likely to dominate politics over the next few months. Trump said he would immediately begin considering a replacement for Kennedy, who he said would come from a list of 25 candidates already put together in the case of an opening, “It will be somebody from that list,” Trump told reporters at the White House. The president called Kennedy a “great justice” who “display[ed] great vision” and “tremendous heart.” Moments after the news was announced, Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConell (R-Ky.) said the Senate would act to confirm Kennedy’s successor before the midterm elections. “We will vote to confirm Justice Kennedy’s successor this fall,” he said on the Senate floor. The retirement immediately led to fears from abortion rights advocates that a new justice appointed by Trump could join with the court’s other four conservatives to strike down Roe v. Wade. ... Link to the full article to read more