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