Washington (CNN) -- When the nation's capital was turned upside down Friday with the announcement that Justice John Paul Stevens was retiring after 40 years on the federal bench, he was miles away from the political circus -- literally and figuratively. The 89-year-old justice was quietly working on his caseload at his Fort Lauderdale, Florida, condo, a second home that serves as his occasional refuge from the high-pressure atmosphere of the U.S. Supreme Court. It is doubtful his replacement will soon find any sanctuary in what could be a protracted fight over the shaky ideological balance of a mostly conservative high court.
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CNN's Bill Mears says President Obama has tough choice to make
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Retiring Justice John Paul Stevens had earned grudging respect from the right
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Obama must balance competing pressures from liberals, conservatives, Mears says
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Mears: This Supreme Court nominee likely faces choppier water than Sonia Sotomayor did
The 112th justice, by most measures, will have a tough act to follow, as he or she seeks to navigate the complex dynamics of a divided bench and gain a measure of the level of influence @placeholder enjoyed for the past two decades and more.