David Souter

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David Souter
Associate Justice of the Supreme Court of the United States
In office
October 3, 1990 – June 29, 2009
Nominated byGeorge H. W. Bush
Preceded byWilliam Brennan
Succeeded bySonia Sotomayor
Judge of the United States Court of Appeals for the First Circuit
In office
May 25, 1990 – October 9, 1990
Nominated byGeorge H. W. Bush
Preceded byHugh H. Bownes
Succeeded byNorman H. Stahl
Associate Justice of the New Hampshire Supreme Court
In office
1983–1990
Nominated byJohn Sununu
Preceded byMaurice Bois
Succeeded bySherman Horton
Associate Justice of the New Hampshire Superior Court
In office
1978–1983
20th Attorney General of New Hampshire
In office
January 15, 1976 – April 1978
GovernorMeldrim Thomson Jr.
Preceded byWarren Rudman
Succeeded byThomas D. Rath
Personal details
Born
David Hackett Souter

(1939-09-17) September 17, 1939 (age 84)
Melrose, Massachusetts, U.S.
Political partyRepublican[1]
EducationHarvard University (BA, LLB)
Magdalen College, Oxford (BA)
Signature

David Hackett Souter (/ˈstər/; born September 17, 1939) is a retired Associate Justice of the Supreme Court of the United States. He served from October 1990 until his retirement in June 2009.[2] Appointed by President George H. W. Bush to fill the seat left by William J. Brennan, Jr., Souter sat on both the Rehnquist and Roberts courts and came to vote reliably with the court's liberal members.[3][4]

Pre-Supreme Court[change | change source]

He was the only Justice during his time on the Court with court experience outside of a federal appeals court. He served as a prosecutor (1966–1968), in the New Hampshire Attorney General's office (1968–1976), as the Attorney General of New Hampshire (1976–1978), as an Associate Justice of the Superior Court of New Hampshire (1978–1983), as an Associate Justice of the New Hampshire Supreme Court (1983–1990) and briefly as a Judge of the United States Court of Appeals for the First Circuit (1990).[4]

Retirement[change | change source]

Following Souter's retirement announcement in May 2009, President Barack Obama nominated Sonia Sotomayor as his replacement.[5]

Related pages[change | change source]

References[change | change source]

  1. Barnes, Robert; Shackelford, Lucy (February 12, 2008). "As on Bench, Voting Styles Are Personal". The Washington Post.
  2. "Press Release". Supreme Court of the United States. February 13, 2009.
  3. Baker, Peter; Zeleny, Jeff (May 1, 2009). "Souter's Exit to Give Obama First Opening". The New York Times.
  4. 4.0 4.1 "David H. Souter". The New York Times.
  5. Sherman, Mark Souter says Goodbye to the Supreme Court[permanent dead link], Washington Examiner, May 5, 2009