President Obama is vowing a speedy appointment to replace the retiring Supreme Court Justice John Paul Stevens. The eighty-nine-year-old Stevens announced Friday he’ll step down at the end of the Court’s regular session in June. At the White House, Obama paid tribute to Stevens’ thirty-five years on the bench.

President Obama: “He has worn the judicial robe with honor and humility. He has applied the Constitution and the laws of the land with fidelity and restraint. He will soon turn ninety this month, but he leaves his position at the top of his game. His leadership will be sorely missed…Now, as Justice Stevens expressed to me in the letter announcing his retirement, it is in the best interest of the Supreme Court to have a successor appointed and confirmed before the next term begins, and so I will move quickly to name a nominee, as I did with Justice Sotomayor.”

Stevens has long been regarded as the leader of the “liberal” wing of the Supreme Court. In a statement, the American Civil Liberties Union said, “The civil liberties legacy of Justice Stevens is deep and broad. He has promoted racial equality, supported gay rights and defended a woman’s right to choose…Without his leadership, the Bush administration might well have succeeded in its effort to deprive Guantánamo detainees of any rights and any access to US courts.”