Supreme Court Justice Anthony Kennedy has said he plans to retire after three decades as a pivotal vote on the highest US judicial body, giving President Donald Trump an opportunity to make the court more firmly conservative.
Justice Kennedy, who turns 82 in July and is the second-oldest justice on the nine-member court, has become one of the most consequential US jurists since joining the court in 1988 as an appointee of Republican President Ronald Reagan.
A traditional conservative, he advanced gay rights, reinforced abortion rights and erased political spending limits.
His retirement, which takes effect on 31 July, gives Mr Trump a second Supreme Court appointment in his 17 months in office after he selected Neil Gorsuch last year, who has already become one of the most conservative justices.
Justice Kennedy sometimes joined the liberal justices on key rulings, earning a reputation as the court's "swing" vote who heartened conservatives and liberals alike, depending on the issue.
His retirement sets the stage for a major showdown in the Republican-led US Senate over the confirmation of Mr Trump's eventual pick for the lifetime appointment to replace Justice Kennedy, all coming before November elections in which Democrats are seeking to seize control of Congress from Mr Trump's Republicans.
