Nomination of Anthony M. Kennedy To Be an Associate Justice of the Supreme Court of the United States

November 11, 1987

President Reagan announced today that he would nominate Judge Anthony M. Kennedy to be an Associate Justice of the United States Supreme Court. The President believes that Judge Kennedy's distinguished legal career, which includes over a decade of service as a Federal appellate judge, makes him eminently qualified to sit on our nation's highest court.

Judge Kennedy, who is 51 years old, was born in Sacramento, CA. He received his undergraduate degree at Stanford University in 1958, attending the London School of Economics during his senior year. He received his law degree from Harvard University in 1961. He has also served in the California Army National Guard.

From 1961 to 1963, Judge Kennedy was an associate at the firm of Thelen, Marrin, Johnson & Bridges in San Francisco, CA. He then returned to Sacramento to pursue a general litigation, legislative, and business practice, first as sole practitioner and then, from 1967 to 1975, as a partner with the firm of Evans, Jackson & Kennedy. Since 1965 he has taught constitutional law part-time at the McGeorge School of Law at the University of the Pacific.

In 1975 President Ford appointed Judge Kennedy to sit on the United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit, where he now ranks among the most senior active judges on the bench. Judge Kennedy has participated in over 1,400 decisions and authored over 400 opinions, earning a reputation for fairness, openmindedness, and scholarship. He has been an active participant in matters of judicial administration. Judge Kennedy has earned the respect of colleagues of all political persuasions.

Judge Kennedy and his wife Mary reside in his hometown of Sacramento. They have three children, Justin, Gregory, and Kristin.

Judge Kennedy represents the best traditions of America's judiciary. The President urges the Senate to accept this nomination in the spirit in which it is being made, and fill the vacancy that continues to handicap the vital work of the Supreme Court.