WASHINGTON _ The retirement of Justice Anthony Kennedy will leave a hole in the center of the Supreme Court.
A Ronald Reagan appointee who evolved into a frequent swing vote since he joined the court in February 1988, Kennedy famously frustrated conservatives when he aligned with liberals on hot issues from abortion and gay rights to crime and punishment.
More often than most, though, he's been on the winning side of the court's 5-4 votes that have resolved the toughest legal problems.