Retiring justice sees European ties as vital

ANAHEIM, Calif. (AP) — Retiring Supreme Court Justice Anthony Kennedy says he believes it is vital to maintain close ties with Europe and is concerned the U.S. appears to be drifting away.

Kennedy, who announced his retirement in June, made the remarks Thursday at a conference of judges and lawyers in Southern California.

“Europe is a place where I think we must always remain close to. It is of great concern to me that we seem to be drifting away from Europe,” Kennedy told the audience at the Ninth Circuit Judicial Conference in Anaheim, California, adding that “we can’t be an island.”

His comments came shortly after President Donald Trump’s tumultuous trip across Europe where he insulted allies and raised doubts about his commitment to the NATO alliance.

Kennedy, who was nominated by President Ronald Reagan, has in recent years been the Supreme Court’s decisive vote in contentious cases on issues such as gay rights and abortion.

After he said he was retiring to spend more time with his family, Trump nominated District of Columbia federal appeals court Judge Brett Kavanaugh — who was once a clerk for Kennedy — to be his replacement.

Without Kennedy, the court will be split between four liberal justices who were appointed by Democratic presidents and four conservatives who were named by Republicans.

Kennedy has sided with liberal justices on gay and abortion rights. But he was a key vote for conservatives on the outcome of the 2000 presidential election in favor of George W. Bush, on gun rights and on limiting the regulation of campaign funds.

During his remarks in California, Kennedy, 82, also said he is interested in penal reform and believes that solitary confinement is wrong and that U.S. criminal sentences are too long.

“Our sentences in this country are eight times longer than sentences for the comparative crimes in England and Western Europe,” he said.