David Souter

David Souter
David Souter
	Official portrait, 1990
Associate Justice of the Supreme Court of the United States
	In office; October 9, 1990 – June 29, 2009
Nominated by	George H. W. Bush
Preceded by	William J. Brennan Jr.
Succeeded by	Sonia Sotomayor
Judge of the United States Court of Appeals for the First Circuit
	In office; May 25, 1990 – October 9, 1990
Nominated by	George H. W. Bush
Preceded by	Hugh H. Bownes
Succeeded by	Norman H. Stahl
Associate Justice of the New Hampshire Supreme Court
	In office; 1983–1990
Nominated by	John Sununu
Preceded by	Maurice Bois
Succeeded by	Sherman Horton
20th Attorney General of New Hampshire
	In office; July 17, 1976 – September 19, 1978
Governor	Meldrim Thomson Jr.
Preceded by	Warren Rudman
Succeeded by	Thomas D. Rath
Personal details
Born	David Hackett Souter; September 17, 1939; Melrose, Massachusetts, U.S.
Died	May 8, 2025 (aged 85); Hopkinton, New Hampshire, U.S.
Political party	Republican
Education	Harvard University (BA, LLB); Magdalen College, Oxford (BA);
Signature

David Hackett Souter (/ˈsuːtər/ SOO-tər; September 17, 1939 – May 8, 2025) was an American lawyer and jurist who served as an Associate Justice of the Supreme Court of the United States from 1990 until his retirement in 2009.^[2]^[3] Appointed by President George H. W. Bush to fill the seat that had been vacated by William J. Brennan Jr., Souter was a member of both the Rehnquist and Roberts courts.

Raised in New England, Souter attended Harvard College; Magdalen College, Oxford; and Harvard Law School. After briefly working in private practice, he moved to public service. He served as a prosecutor in the office of the Attorney General of New Hampshire (1968–1976); as attorney general of New Hampshire (1976–1978); as an associate justice of the New Hampshire Superior Court (1978–1983); as an associate justice of the New Hampshire Supreme Court (1983–1990); and as a judge of the United States Court of Appeals for the First Circuit (1990).^[4]

In mid-2009, after Barack Obama took office as U.S. president, Souter announced his retirement from the Court; he was succeeded by Sonia Sotomayor. Souter continued to hear cases by designation at the circuit court level.

^ Barnes, Robert; Shackelford, Lucy (February 12, 2008). "As on Bench, Voting Styles Are Personal". The Washington Post. Archived from the original on November 26, 2020. Retrieved August 26, 2017.
^ "Justices 1789 to Present". Washington, D.C.: Supreme Court of the United States. Retrieved February 15, 2022.
^ "Press Release". Supreme Court of the United States. February 13, 2009. Archived from the original on July 21, 2011. Retrieved June 27, 2017.
^ "David H. Souter". The New York Times. August 3, 2017. Archived from the original on September 6, 2015. Retrieved October 11, 2009.

[1] Barnes, Robert; Shackelford, Lucy (February 12, 2008). "As on Bench, Voting Styles Are Personal". The Washington Post. Archived from the original on November 26, 2020. Retrieved August 26, 2017.

[SCOTUSjustices-2] "Justices 1789 to Present". Washington, D.C.: Supreme Court of the United States. Retrieved February 15, 2022.

[3] "Press Release". Supreme Court of the United States. February 13, 2009. Archived from the original on July 21, 2011. Retrieved June 27, 2017.

[nytimesprofile-4] "David H. Souter". The New York Times. August 3, 2017. Archived from the original on September 6, 2015. Retrieved October 11, 2009.

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