High Quality Content by WIKIPEDIA articles! John Paul Stevens (born April 20, 1920) is an Associate Justice of the Supreme Court of the United States. He joined the Supreme Court in December of 1975 and is the oldest member of the Court, and the fourth-longest serving justice in the Court's history. He was nominated by President Gerald Ford to replace the Court's longest serving justice, William O. Douglas. Stevens is widely considered to be on the liberal side of the court. Ford praised Stevens in 2005: "He is serving his nation well, with dignity, intellect and without partisan political concerns." Asked in an interview in September 2007 if he still considers himself a Republican, Stevens declined to comment.