David Souter, the former Supreme Court Justice who served for nearly two decades and became a key figure in the court’s liberal bloc, died Thursday at the age of 85, the U.S. Supreme Court announced.
The court stated that Souter passed away “peacefully” at his home in New Hampshire, where he had lived since his retirement in 2009. No cause of death was given.
Chief Justice John Roberts paid tribute to his former colleague, calling Souter’s service “distinguished” and praising his “uncommon wisdom and kindness.” Even after stepping down from the high court, Souter remained active in the judiciary, regularly sitting on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the First Circuit for over a decade.
Appointed by President George H.W. Bush in 1990, David Souter was initially expected to be a reliable conservative Supreme Court justice. However, he quickly became a source of frustration for Republicans by siding with the court’s liberal wing on major rulings.
Within just two years of his appointment, Souter helped uphold the core of Roe v. Wade, the landmark decision that recognized a constitutional right to abortion. His decisions in favor of affirmative action and separation of church and state further solidified his alignment with the court’s liberal justices.
His shift in judicial philosophy triggered backlash from conservatives, who coined the phrase “No More Souters” as a cautionary slogan against future moderate or unpredictable court picks.
One of the most controversial cases during his tenure was Bush v. Gore in 2000, which effectively ended the Florida recount and paved the way for George W. Bush’s presidency.
Souter was among the four dissenting justices, deeply troubled by what he saw as a politically motivated decision. According to legal analyst Jeffrey Toobin, Souter even considered resigning in protest after the ruling, believing the court’s majority had acted with partisan bias.
Despite his misgivings, Souter remained on the bench until 2009. His decision to retire at age 69 surprised many, as he was relatively young by Supreme Court standards. Upon retiring, he returned to his home state of New Hampshire, where he had grown up and launched his legal career.
Souter was a Rhodes Scholar and Harvard Law graduate who entered public service after a brief time in private practice. He served in the New Hampshire Attorney General’s office and became the state’s Attorney General in 1976. He was later appointed to the state supreme court, and in 1990, he was elevated to the First Circuit Court of Appeals before his nomination to the Supreme Court.
Known for his reclusive nature, Souter kept a low public profile and never married. He rarely spoke publicly after retiring, though he did express concern in 2012 about Americans’ lack of understanding of the Constitution. Calling it “pervasive civic ignorance,” Souter warned that such a lack of awareness posed a serious threat to the health of American democracy.
Justice Souter’s legacy remains one of principled independence and quiet influence, marking him as one of the more enigmatic justices in modern court history.
