While serving on the bench, Stevens wrote some of the court’s most important antitrust rulings, including National Collegiate Athletic Association , Illinois Tool , Summit Health and Superior Court Trial Lawyers Association . He wrote thoughtful dissents in many other antitrust cases. Although his career on the bench has been reviewed and analyzed by many, not much attention has been focused on his professional life prior to becoming a Supreme Court justice. Some may be surprised to learn that before ascending to the bench, Stevens had a long and successful career in private practice as an antitrust litigator.
Stevens began his practice of antitrust law in Chicago in 1949 at the law firm of Poppenhusen Johnston Thompson & Raymond — the predecessor firm of Jenner & Block. He practiced there for two years before moving to Washington, D.C., to serve as associate counsel to the subcommittee on the study of monopoly power of the Judiciary Committee of the U.S. House of Representatives.
