Tis the season for Supreme Court surprises.

Justice Anthony Kennedy has been called the most powerful man in the judiciary. Since his appointment to the Supreme Court by President Reagan, Kennedy has been the wildcard, sometimes voting with the conservative, sometimes with the liberals. He’s been the deciding vote in more landmark cases than any judge in recent memory.

Late last week, Justice Kennedy announced his retirement, meaning that President Trump will get to appoint a second justice. The result of the inevitable confirmation battle in the Senate could mean a historic shift on the court. Kennedy gave us liberal rulings such as Planned Parenthood v. Casey, Lawrence v. Texas, and of course, Obergefell. And he enshrined the idea of liberty as “the right to define one’s own concept of existence, of meaning, of the universe, and of the mystery of human life.”

If, as I pray, his successor doesn’t share that philosophy, big changes are ahead, especially for life and religious liberty.

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