Remembering Senator Kennedy

Edward Moore Kennedy (1939-2009)

No matter your political views, the passing of Kennedy marks the end of an important era in American political history, the official end of Camelot. As the second longest serving senator, his legal footprint is hard to ignore. As a child of the 70s, the concept of a senate without a Kennedy is foreign to me.

Some of Kennedy's legal contributions include:

• participated in the nomination hearings for every member of the current Supreme Court with the exception of Justice Sonia Sotomayor
• first speech on the senate floor was on the Civil Rights Act of 1964, which outlawed segregation in public accommodations
• first major bill he managed on the Senate floor was the Immigration Act of 1965 that eliminated discriminatory immigration quotas
• an original cosponsor of the Education for All Handicapped Children Act, which later became the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act
• chief sponsor in 1982 of the Voting Rights Act Amendments, which led to increased minority representation in Congress and state legislatures nationwide
• During the 2000s, almost every bipartisan bill signed during the George W. Bush administration had significant involvement from Kennedy
• April 2006, Kennedy was selected by Time as one of "America's 10 Best Senators"

As the days continue to write the pages of history, it will be interesting to see how the senate changes in a post-Kennedy era. All eyes are now on Congress as the health care debate heats up. How will these negotiations take shape without the "lion of the senate".