bild

The justices of the U.S. Supreme Court gather for a group portrait at the Supreme Court Building in Washington, Dec. 5, 2003. Left to right in front row are: Associates Justice Antonin Scalia, John Paul Stevens, Chief Justice of the United States William H. Rehnquist, Associate Justices Sandra Day O'Connor, and Anthony M. Kennedy. Back row, from left are: Associate Justices Ruth Bader Ginsburg, David Souter, Clarence Thomas, and Stephen Breyer. O'Connor, the first woman appointed to the Supreme Court and a key swing vote on issues such as abortion and the death penalty, said Friday July 1, 2005 she is retiring. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite)