Retired Justice John Paul Stevens will be laid to rest at Arlington National Cemetery during a private funeral planned for Tuesday.

The 99-year-old former Supreme Court justice died last week in Florida. He served on the high court for nearly 35 years, retiring in 2010.

Stevens served in the Navy during World War II before attending law school. A graveside ceremony is expected to include Navy pallbearers and a rifle salute. The area of the cemetery where he is being buried is also the final resting place of other former justices.

On Monday, five current justices and retired Justice Anthony Kennedy were present as Stevens' casket arrived at the Supreme Court. After a brief private ceremony, members of the public were allowed to file by and pay their respects.

Nevada Governor Steve Sisolak has ordered flags to fly at half-staff.

 

EXECUTIVE ORDER 2019-13

ORDERING FLAGS TO HALF STAFF

WHEREAS, John Paul Stevens served as an associate justice of the United States Supreme Court from 1975 until his retirement in 2010. At the time of his retirement, he was the second-oldest-serving justice in the history of the Supreme Court; 

WHEREAS, Justice Stevens was a member of America’s Greatest Generation, serving in the U.S. Navy during World War II. After graduating from law school and serving in a distinguished federal clerkship, John Paul Stevens focused his legal practice on antitrust law, eventually co-founding his own law firm;

WHEREAS, Justice Stevens was appointed to the Seventh Circuit Court of Appeals by President Richard Nixon in 1970 and by President Gerald Ford to the U.S. Supreme Court in 1975 to fill the position vacated by Justice William O. Douglas; 

WHEREAS, Justice Stevens wrote as part of the majority in some of this country’s most important cases, including Chevron v. Natural Resources Defense Council, Apprendi v. New Jersey, Hamdan v. Rumsfeld, Kelo v. City of New London, and Massachusetts v. EPA. He also dissented in some of the nation’s most crucial decisions, including Texas v. Johnson, Bush v. Gore, D.C. v. Heller, and Citizens United v. FEC. 

WHEREAS, despite his demonstrated brilliance and a legal career that is nearly unequaled, he was known for humility and for his great respect for the rule of law. In the 2000 case of Bush v. Gore, 531 U.S. 98, Stevens wrote a dissent in which he argued that, “[t]ime will one day heal the wound to that confidence that will be inflicted by today’s decision. One thing, however, is certain. Although we may never know with complete certainty the identity of the winner of this year’s presidential election, the identity of the loser is perfectly clear. It is the Nation’s confidence in the judge as an impartial guardian of the rule of law.” His reverence for the rule of law is something to which all jurists should aspire.

NOW, THEREFORE, by the authority vested in me as Governor by the Constitution and laws of the State of Nevada and the United States, and pursuant to the Proclamation issued by President Donald J. Trump on July 17, 2019, it is hereby ordered as follows: 

The flags of the United States and the State of Nevada shall be flown at half-staff at the State Capitol and all State public buildings and grounds on Tuesday, July 23, 2019, the day of Justice John Paul Stevens’ interment, until sunset of the same day, as a mark of respect and in remembrance of Justice Stevens.