Stevens may decide in April on retirement

WASHINGTON, March 16 (UPI) -- U.S. Supreme Court Justice John Paul Stevens told The New Yorker in an interview he may make up his mind in April about retiring this year.

In any case, he said he will retire within three years.

Stevens, who turns 90 April 20, told his interviewer March 8 he would make up his mind in about a month.

"Well, I still have my options open," Stevens said. "When I decided to just hire one clerk (before the start of the current term), three of my four clerks last year said they'd work for me next year if I wanted them to. So I have my options still. And then I'll have to decide soon."

If he served for two more years, Stevens would surpass the late Justice William O. Douglas for the longest tenure on the court. Douglas served 36 years and 209 days before retiring in 1975.

Sevens is close to equaling the late Justice Oliver Wendell Holmes as the oldest serving justice. Holmes retired in 1932 after his 90th birthday.

Stevens said he doesn't care about the numbers.

"I've never felt any interest in trying to break any records," he told The New Yorker.

Asked whether it mattered which president named his replacement, Stevens said, "I'd rather not answer that."

Appointed by Republican President Gerald Ford in 1975, Stevens has been the leader of the court's four-member liberal bloc. As for President Barack Obama, Stevens said: "I have a great admiration for him, and certainly think he's capable of picking successfully, you know, doing a good job of filling vacancies. I can say I will retire within the next three years. I'm sure of that."