Justice David Souter, the quietly influential and often enigmatic former Supreme Court Justice, has passed away at the age of 85, according to multiple reports confirmed by the Court.
Chief Justice John Roberts honored Souter’s decades of service in a heartfelt statement:
“Justice David Souter served our Court with great distinction for nearly twenty years. He brought uncommon wisdom and kindness to a lifetime of public service. 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. He will be greatly missed.”
Souter was nominated to the Supreme Court in 1990 by President George H.W. Bush, expected to be a staunch conservative. But in a turn that shocked and later frustrated many on the right, he became one of the Court’s most liberal voices—an unpredictable and often solitary jurist who shaped decisions across civil rights, abortion, and criminal justice.
Souter stepped down in 2009, shortly after President Barack Obama took office. His departure paved the way for the historic appointment of Justice Sonia Sotomayor, the first Latina to join the Supreme Court.
Though he shunned the spotlight, David Souter left a profound mark on American jurisprudence—proof that the robe changes the man more often than the man changes the robe.
