Retired Associate Justice of the Supreme Court of the United States, David H. Souter, died peacefully yesterday at home in New Hampshire. He was 85 years old (Supreme Court press release available here).
Justice Souter, a lifelong bachelor who was renowned for his love of a simple life in New Hampshire, was appointed to the Court by President George H.W. Bush in 1990, and retired in 2009, after serving nearly 20 years on the bench.
He quickly surprised both his supporters and opponents by forging a path as a moderate on the court who, as time passed, became a solid liberal vote on issues like abortion, accessibility of federal courts, the death penalty, and LGBTQ rights.
He retired from the court in June 2009, at the relatively young age of 69, giving President Barack Obama his first Supreme Court vacancy to fill. Obama chose Sonia Sotomayor, the first Latina to serve on the court.
After retiring to his beloved New Hampshire in 2009, he continued to render significant service to our branch by sitting regularly on the Court of Appeals for the First Circuit for more than a decade.