WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump says the search for a new Supreme Court justice will begin “immediately.”

Trump spoke Wednesday shortly after Supreme Court Justice Anthony Kennedy announced his retirement. Trump called Kennedy a man “of tremendous vision” and said he hopes the next justice will be “just as outstanding.”

Kennedy’s retirement gives Trump the chance to cement conservative control of the high court. Trump said his choice will come from a list of possible nominees that he put out during his campaign and updated last fall.

The 81-year-old Kennedy said in a statement he is stepping down after more than 30 years on the court. A Republican appointee, he has held the key vote on such high-profile issues as abortion, affirmative action, gay rights, guns, campaign finance and voting rights.

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2:20 p.m.

A top official with the Federalist Society is praising retiring Supreme Court Justice Anthony Kennedy as a “dedicated public servant.”

Leonard Leo is taking a leave from the society to advise President Donald Trump on the nomination process to replace Kennedy. He has advised Trump in the past on judicial picks.

In a statement, Leo says that Kennedy “has cared deeply about the relationship between the Constitution and individual liberty, and played a key role in helping to shape the Supreme Court’s conservative jurisprudence in the areas of campaign finance and the First Amendment, gun rights and the Second Amendment, the separation of powers and federalism, and reasonable restrictions on abortion, such as the partial-birth abortion ban.”

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2:04 p.m.

Supreme Court Justice Anthony Kennedy says he is retiring. That will give President Donald Trump the chance to cement conservative control of the high court.

The 81-year-old Kennedy said Wednesday he is stepping down after more than 30 years on the court. A Republican appointee, he has held the key vote on such high-profile issues as abortion, affirmative action, gay rights, guns, campaign finance and voting rights.