Retired Supreme Court Justice John Paul Stevens dies at 99

John Paul Stevens, the third longest-serving Supreme Court justice in history, died Tuesday in Florida of complications from a stroke. He was 99.

Nominated to the Supreme Court by President Gerald Ford, he served 35 years before retiring in 2010. Stevens told The New York Times in 2007 that he thinks "as part of my general politics, I'm pretty darn conservative," but he ended up leading the liberal wing of the court, and was known for standing up for the rights of individuals.

Stevens revealed that his one regret was voting to reinstate the death penalty in 1976, as he later decided that capital punishment is unconstitutional. He wrote a stern dissent in the landmark 2010 case Citizens United v. Federal Election Commission, saying the ruling represented a "rejection of the common sense of the American people, who have recognized a need to prevent corporations from undermining self government." He also led the opponents in Bush v. Gore. "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 clear," he wrote. "It is the nation's confidence in the judge as an impartial guardian of the rule of law."

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Born in 1920, the Chicago native served in the Navy during World War II as a code breaker, and graduated from the top of his class at Northwestern University School of Law. Following his retirement, he wrote three books, including Six Amendments: How and Why We Should Change the Constitution. He is survived by his daughters, Elizabeth and Susan, nine grandchildren, and 13 great-grandchildren.