Governor orders flags flown at half-staff for Supreme Court Justice Stevens

Havre Daily News staff

Montana Gov. Steve Bullock ordered Monday that flags be flown at half-staff today in the state to honor former U.S Supreme Court Justice John Paul Stevens, who died last Tuesday at age 99.

“Justice John Paul Stevens was one of our nation’s longest serving Supreme Court justices and oversaw historic decisions regarding civil liberties, individual rights and holding the federal government accountable,” Bullock wrote in his proclamation, adding, “Justice Stevens also famously dissented against the disastrous Citizens United decision that allowed corporations to spend unlimited money in our elections, stating, ‘A democracy cannot function effectively when its constituent members believe laws are being bought and sold.’ I thank Justice Stevens for his wisdom on the bench and his lifetime of service to our nation.”

The funeral for Stevens, a veteran of the U.S. Navy who served during World War II, was scheduled for today at Arlington National Cemetery.

Born in 1920 in Chicago, Stevens was nominated to the U.S. Supreme Court by President Gerald Ford in 1975.

Stevens retired in 2010. He was the third-longest serving Supreme Court justice and the second-oldest serving justice.