As the pundits pile on their assessments of U.S. Supreme Court Justice John Paul Stevens, who announced plans to retire today -- and also try to predict who might replace him -- one view indicates his departure will mean a loss for protectors of The First Amendment.

Tony Mauro, a legal correspondent for the First Amendment Center, penned a great review of Stevens' time related to freedom of the press, speech and religion cases. He contends the long-time justice was a great backer of such rights.

“Stevens' free-speech decisions range from FCC v. Pacifica Foundation in 1978, upholding the ban on broadcasting George Carlin's 'seven dirty words,' to Reno v. ACLU in 1997, which gave the Internet broad First Amendment protection," Mauro wrote. “In 44 Liquormart v. Rhode Island in 1996, Stevens struck down a state law banning liquor-price advertising, and in 1982, he authored NAACP v. Claiborne Hardware, protecting a boycott of white businesses from government restriction."