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About Portland observer. (Portland, Or.) 1970-current | View Entire Issue (April 14, 2010)
Page 6 Jl" Portiani» (Dbseruer April 14. 2010 Supreme Court Justice to Step Down Giving Obama second court pick (AP) — Suprem e Court Ju s tice John Paul Stevens, the c o u rt's o ld e st m em b er and leader o f its liberal bloc, is re tir in g . P re s id e n t B a ra c k O bam a now has his second high court opening to fill. Stevens said Friday he will step down when the court fin ishes its work for the summer in late June or early July. He said he hopes his successor is con firmed "well in advance o f the commencement o f the court's next term." S te v e n s' an n o u n c e m e n t leaves ample time for the White House to settle on a successor and for Senate Democrats, who control a 59-vote majority, to hold confirmation hearings and a vote before the court's next term begins in October. Republicans have not ruled out attempts to delay confirmation. S te v e n s ' a n n o u n c e m e n t. Justice John Paul Stevens w hich cam e 11 days before his 90th birthday, had been hinted at for months. It's presum ed O bam a will nom inate another liberal, so Stevens' departure w ouldn't alter the court's philo sophical makeup. T h ro u g h o u t h is te n u re , w hich began after President G erald Ford nom inated him in 1975, Stevens usually sided with the court's liberal bloc in the m ost contentious cases — those involving abortion, crim i nal law, civil rights and church- state relations. He led the dis senters as w ell in the case o f Bush v. G ore that sealed P resi dent G eorge W. Bush's elec tion in 2000. Stevens began signaling a possible retirem ent last sum m er when he hired ju st one o f his usual com plem ent o f four law clerks for the next court term. He acknow ledged in sev eral interview s that he was contem plating stepping down and w ould certainly do so dur ing O bam a's presidency. TriMet Boosts Security As Past Efforts Pay Dividends TriM et has won a $1.9 mil lion T ransportation Safety A d m inistration grant to enhance security on the transit system at the same tim e it is heralding an 19 percent decrease o f re ported crim e on MAX The announcement came on the second anniversary o f the opening o f the East Police Pre cinct in Gresham, which has seen a 50 percent decrease in re ported crime on MAX over the past year “T riM et’s top priority is to operate a safe and secure tran sit system ,” said TriM et G en eral M anager Fred H ansen. “W ith partners like TSA, w e’re able to continue to expand our efforts that help reduce inci Don Laughlin's Riverside Resort Hotel & Casino You've Got Yourself a Deal! ■ ■ : ■ • $249 AIR & ROOM PACKAGES! (IN C L U D E S A L L TAXES & FEES) From Portland, Oregon To Laughlin, Nevada May 13th thru May 16th Thursday-Sunday FOR RESERVATIONS 1.866.228.2751 www.riversideresort.com ’ Prices are oer person. Based on double occupancy Single occupancy $50 additional charge, includes roundtrip airfare, ground transfers and hotel lodging nt the Riverside Resort Hotel & Casino. Prices are subject to change, are not retroactive.and may not be available on TriMet’s top priority is to operate a safe and secure transit system. dents of crim e on the system .” The grant will add security cameras at nine MAX stations, boost p e rim e te r secu rity at TriM et facilities and fund a backup Command Center. The stations slated for se curity cam eras on the east side include 122nd A venue, 02nd Avenue, G atew ay Transit C en ter, Parkrose/Sum ner Transit C e n te r, N o rth e a s t S ev en th A venue, and the C onvention Center. On the w est side, they are the G oose H ollow /South- west Jefferson Street , M illikan Way, and O renco-N orthw est 231st A venue stations. Installation will begin this sum mer, bringing the total number o f stations with cameras to 74 out or 84, many tunded with TSA grants. O v er the past 2.5 years, TriM et has taken several steps to increase secu rity on the MAX system , including the doubling the num ber o f transit police officers, from 29 to 58 officers; doubling the num ber o f TriM et sta ff dedicated to fare inspection (from 15 to 30), and asking its 46 supervisors to check fares as part o f their daily duties. TriM et also changed code to add intim idation as behavior restricted on the system and made a pledge to rem ove graf f i t i w ithin 24 hours at m ajor MAX stations and transit cen ters. S u b sc rib e ! O U U a C IlD C ’ 503-288-0033 F ill O ut & Send To: il!‘ JJortlanb (Pbscmer A ttn\ Subscriptions, PO Box 3137, Portland OR 97208 s u b s c r ip tio n s are ju s t $60 p e r y e a r (please include check with this subscription form) N ame : ________ T elephone : __________________________ A ddress : __________________________ certain departures or at time of booking due to limited space.tickets ate non- refundable. Change penalties apply. Price includes taxes and fees. Scheduled air service provided by Sun Country Airlines, o r e m a il su b sc r ip tio n s@ p o r tla n d o b se r v e r .c o m