John Paul Stevens, retired Supreme Court justice, at age 98 has a memoir on the way

Retired Supreme Court Justice John Paul Stevens, 98, will publish a memoir next year.

Stevens’ book “The Making of a Justice” is slated for publication May 14, about three weeks after his 99th birthday.

Stevens was nominated to the Supreme Court by President Ford in 1975 and served until June 29, 2010. Publisher Little, Brown describes the book as “an intimate and illuminating account of his service on the nation’s highest court” and “a must read for those trying to better understand our country and the Constitution.”

Stevens served on the Supreme Court for almost 35 years. He was widely seen as a moderate early in his career, but during his last several years as a judge, he was a stalwart of the court’s liberal wing, issuing dissents in high-profile cases like Bush vs. Gore and Citizens United vs. FEC.

Little, Brown says his memoir will tell his life story, including his childhood in Chicago, his experience in the Navy during World War II, and his more than three decades on the Supreme Court.

“It’s a long story,” Stevens told the New York Times about his 560-page book. He said he was inspired to write the book after his wife surprised him with a gathering of friends for his 94th birthday.

“I just started writing after that party,” he said.

“The Making of a Justice” will be Stevens’ third book. He published “Five Chiefs: A Supreme Court Memoir” in 2011 and “Six Amendments: How and Why We Should Change the Constitution” in 2014.