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After 30 years serving on the Supreme Court, Justice Anthony Kennedy, 81, is to set hang up his robe next month. And although he may not retire in his hometown of Sacramento, his ties to the city remain strong.
"His ties to Sacramento are very important to him," Professor Larry Levine, who teaches law at McGeorge School of Law in Sacramento, told ABC10. "He could not be clearer on his commitment to Sacramento and we've been so lucky he's been able to come back to the law school on frequent occasions."
Kennedy, who was born in Sacramento and graduated from McClatchy High School, was an adjunct professor at McGeorge School of Law for more than 20 years until joining the Supreme Court in 1988.
Levine said he still remembers how kind and helpful Kennedy was to him when Levine started there as a young faculty member.
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"When he was appointed to the Supreme Court, we were all beside ourselves with joy," Levine recalled. "It was a great thing for the law school and for the country."
Levine, who said he doesn't always share the same political views as Kennedy, a Republican, described his former colleague as "an extremely decent person who always "treats people with respect."
He said he believes Kennedy's California roots, including growing up in a diverse area, may have influenced some of his views on the court, where's he often been the tie-breaking vote.
"Even if you are a conservative and Republican in California," Levine said, "Many people I know who are California Republicans have a different attitude about just sort of the way you treat people."
Asked about what impact Kennedy's retirement may now have on issues like abortion, Levine said it will be a win for the conservative right.
"I think it's not overstating, it's not hysteria when people say this could be the end of Roe v. Wade," he said. "Certainly procreational choice is going to be limited."
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