Bowties Bid Stevens Adieu on Last Day

Bowtie-wearing lawyers and spectators dotted the Supreme Court chamber on the last day Justice John Paul Stevens sat on the bench, a nod to the retiring justice and his signature neckwear. The 90-year-old Stevens told colleagues in a letter he read from the bench that if he had "overstayed" his welcome, it was because being a justice is "such a unique and wonderful job."

Stevens' retirement after 34 years ties him as the second-longest-serving justice. The only justice who served longer is Justice William O. Douglas, who served for 36 years and whom Stevens replaced in 1975. (More John Paul Stevens stories.)