#david souter

[saywhat-politics]

Souter, known for his simple tastes and love of New Hampshire, became a reliable liberal vote in his 19 years on the court.

May 9, 2025, 6:17 AM MST / Updated May 9, 2025, 11:29 AM MST

By Lawrence Hurley

WASHINGTON — Retired Supreme Court Justice David Souter, a lifelong bachelor who was renowned for his love of a simple life in New Hampshire and dislike of Washington, died at home on Thursday at the age of 85, the court said in a statement.

Plucked from relative obscurity to serve on the Supreme Court, Souter gravely disappointed conservatives whose hopes that he would be a reliable conservative vote were quickly dashed as he aligned with more liberal justices on issues like abortion.

[politicaldilfs]

Forgot to post these pics of David Souter from a few weeks ago. I liked his five o’clock shadow. That’s all I have to add.

[thepolyamorouspolymath]

I keep finding myself thinking of David Souter and Thomas Becket. Both men appointed by those who thought they would serve those benefactors' interests rather than their consciences. Both who did the exact opposite.

Now George HW Bush was NOT Donald Trump. He wasn't even Henry II. But he did appoint justices of the most conservative bent, with little regard for decency -- just look at another pick, Clarence Thomas.

Souter had been a Republican. He towed the correct line of "my decision on an issue would depend on the case before me" that is the ONLY right answer for a potential Justice to give. But there was every reason to believe he'd give the conservatives a firmer grip on the Court, leading to rulings evangelicals and corporations heavily wanted.

He did not. From the time of his appointment he became an absolute champion for the broad interpretation of the Constitution to protect more human beings and more human rights, to regulate corporate behavior, and to deny any religious influence. He was one of the most loyal liberal voices on the Court. He ruled according to his conscience and understanding of the law, and nothing else.

Thomas Becket is probably a less known example but similar. He was Henry II's Chancellor and close friend. As Chancellor he had done everything he could to give Henry everything he wanted, and joined him in his indulgences. Henry, therefore, believed him to be the perfect man to help him seize authority over the Church and named him Archbishop of Canterbury.

Except he too resisted. For whatever reasons, Becket took his new position seriously, striving for piety and faith, taking on protecting the authority of the Chirch as a sacred duty. He was so devoted to this, contrary to Henry's wishes or intent, that Becket had to flee to France. Upon his return, he continued his work including excommunicating three clergymen who were in Henry's corner. He opposed Henry's attempts to seize total control by seizing the authority of the Church as well as holding the monarchy so much that 4 knights attempted to "arrest" him in the church in front of congregants, ending in his death when he refused their claims of authority while on church grounds.

He stood for his conscience -- regardless of the sins of the Church at the time, it hardly would have been better to give that authority to the monarch, when the only checks and balances under a strong monarch was in fact the Church -- despite all evidence of years that he would be Henry's loyal man all the way.

I keep looking for any sign that we may see that in the Republican party today. I know that sentiment will be met with derision at my being hopelessly naive at best. (And I am fully aware that it will not be coming from Trump.)

But the thought of where either Souter or Becket would stand would have been seen the same way at the moments they were placed in their positions.

I don't see it. I don't even have an inkling of it. I can't imagine Matt Gaetz will find a conscience or RFK Jr will suddenly learn to understand science.

But maybe. Maybe there will be someone or a couple someone's in the right place with the right amount of power to at least help.

[justinspoliticalcorner]

Richard Luscombe at The Guardian:

Retired supreme court Justice David H Souter, the ascetic bachelor and New Hampshire Republican who became a darling of liberals during his nearly 20 years on the bench, has died. He was 85. Souter died on Thursday at his home in New Hampshire, the court said in a statement Friday. John Roberts, the chief justice, said Souter, who retired from the court in 2009, “brought uncommon wisdom and kindness to a lifetime of public service”. Souter’s retirement gave Barack Obama his first supreme court vacancy to fill. Obama chose Sonia Sotomayor, the court’s first Latina justice. Souter was appointed by George HW Bush in 1990, and quickly dashed the expectations of the conservative right that had cheered his elevation. He was a reliably liberal vote on abortion, church-state relations, freedom of expression and the accessibility of federal courts. In 1992, he joined Justices Anthony M Kennedy and Sandra Day O’Connor, also appointed by Republican presidents, in a three-member affirmation of women’s federally protected right to abortion.

Reversing the 1973 Roe v Wade ruling, Souter wrote, would be a “surrender to political pressure. To overrule under fire in the absence of the most compelling reason to re-examine a watershed decision would subvert the court’s legitimacy beyond any serious question.” A subsequent conservative supreme court majority, including three Donald Trump picks, overturned Roe v Wade in 2022. Souter was the 105th supreme court justice, and only its sixth bachelor. In retirement, Souter warned that ignorance of how government works could undermine American democracy, words that appear almost prescient today following Trump’s accession to the White House and attacks on the judicial system.

“What I worry about is that when problems are not addressed, people will not know who is responsible. And when the problems get bad enough … some one person will come forward and say: ‘Give me total power and I will solve this problem.’ That is how the Roman republic fell,” Souter said in a 2012 interview. His lifestyle was simple and frugal. His lunch, eaten at his desk, was typically a yogurt and apple. He distanced himself from Washington DC’s social scene, and every June, as soon as supreme court work was finished, he drove his Volkswagen Jetta back to the aged farmhouse in Weare, New Hampshire, where his family moved when he was 11.

[...] When Bush plucked Souter from obscurity in 1990, liberal interest groups feared he would be the pivotal vote that would undo Roe v Wade, with some observers calling him a stealth nominee, and the White House aide John Sununu, the former conservative governor of New Hampshire, calling the choice a “home run”. Souter’s conservatism, however, was moderate, and hardliners were dismayed by his 1992 Roe v Wade affirmation. According to the Washington Post, conservatives who were disappointed in his performance looked at subsequent supreme court vacancies with an attitude of “no more Souters”. He asked precise questions during argument sessions, sometimes with a fierceness that belied his low-key manner. “He had an unerring knack of finding the weakest link in your argument,” the veteran supreme court advocate Carter Phillips said. Although he became to be seen as a liberal justice, some of Souter’s rulings were not. In 2008 he sided with Exxon Mobil Corp in slashing the punitive damages the company owed Alaskan victims of the 1989 Exxon Valdez oil spill.

Former SCOTUS Justice David Souter died at 85. Souter was appointed by the late George H.W. Bush and retired in 2009 under Barack Obama.

He was initially seen as a conservative; however, he quickly became a left-leaning moderate justice. Souter’s shift infuriated the conservative legal establishment, and thus made them more cognizant of assuring future nominees that they have strong conservative bona fides.

See Also:

AP, via HuffPost: Former Supreme Court Justice David Souter, A Republican Who Became A Liberal Darling, Has Died

[10bmnews]

Why was Washington's most eligible bachelor, Judge David H. Souter, unmarried? - Times of India

FILE – David Souter, Associate Justice of the U.S. Supreme Court, is shown, Dec. 1993. (AP Photo/Marcy Nighswander, File) Judge David H Souter died at 85 in his beloved New Hampshire. Appointed by President George H.W. Bush in 1990, he was expected to be a conservative stalwart but often sided with the court’s liberal bloc.A lifelong bachelor, Souter preferred quiet solitude, shunned the…

[gremlinshatephilosophers]

Found out that former supreme court Justice Souter died.

Non-political fun fact: *allegedly* I met him when I was a year or two old, he was a friend of a family member of one of my mom’s friends and he was there when my mom was visiting her friend with me in tow. Apparently I just sort of grabbed his knee? I was a baby, he was an active justice on the court at the time (~2004 ish?) and it apparently horrified everyone but it was fine. At least I didn’t throw up on his suit or something else babies tend to do.

The *allegedly* part comes in that seeing as I was in fact a baby, I only have the recounting of this event from my mother, who conveniently didn’t bring a camera.

But yeah, rip to the Supreme Court justice I broke protocol to hug when I was a baby.

[trendfag]

the ralph nader made al gore lose the 2000 election narrative is genuinely insane considering there actually are five people who literally gave the election to bush. their names are william rehnquist, sandra day oconnor, antonin scalia, anthony kennedy, and clarence thomas.

al gore won florida, but the supreme court in bush v. gore ruled that the deadline for the recount wasnt allowed to be extended, for no reason. the deadline came two hours after scotus dropped the ruling. at the time the recount stopped, more bush votes had been counted than gore votes. not all the votes were counted. if you want to blame somebody for 8 years of bush, blame the 5 appointed lawyers serving life terms in positions where theyre free to take gifts and vacations from whoever they want who literally prevented the vote count in florida from being completed

when i see people express sentiments like this, my thought is pretty much “who exactly are you trying to prove a point to?” the democrats? if trump gets elected, they’re going to be completely sidelined if not worse and will be entirely focused on trying to get back in power and i can tell you they will NOT be moving further left. netanyahu? it’s a BETTER outcome for him if trump wins since trump is SIGNIFICANTLY more pro-israel than biden has ever been. the people in gaza? they need a ceasefire which has been rejected by both the israel and the hamas sides multiple times and a trump win WILL NOT make that a stronger possibility.

[saywhat-politics]

More than any decision he authored, the justice’s legacy was how he surprised legal conservatives, galvanizing a movement to prevent the nomination of federal jurists like him.

[politicaldilfs]

David Souter, Joe Biden, Warren Rudman

[spookyfoxdreamer]

[youthchronical]

Opinion | A Supreme Court Case Threatens the Church-State Divide

While the country holds its breath for the Supreme Court’s responses to the Trump administration’s serial depredations, it’s hard to focus on anything else. Nonetheless, a case set for argument next month before the court merits more attention than the little it has received, given its destabilizing potential for public education. The central question is whether a state that allows charter…

[10bmnews]

Retired Supreme Court Justice David Souter dies at 85

Portrait de David Hackett Souter. Jeffrey Markowitz | Sygma | Getty Images Retired Supreme Court Justice David Souter died Thursday at his home in New Hampshire, the court said in a statement. He was 85 years old. No cause of death was given in the court’s statement. Souter was appointed to the high court in 1990 by his fellow Republican, President George H.W. Bush, and retired in 2009. Souter,…