{"id":2435331,"date":"2025-05-16T00:22:01","date_gmt":"2025-05-16T04:22:01","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/david-souter-1939-2025-washington-examiner\/"},"modified":"2025-05-16T00:23:18","modified_gmt":"2025-05-16T04:23:18","slug":"david-souter-1939-2025-washington-examiner","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/david-souter-1939-2025-washington-examiner\/","title":{"rendered":"David Souter, 1939-2025 &#8211; Washington Examiner"},"content":{"rendered":"<aside class=\"mashsb-container mashsb-main mashsb-stretched\"><div class=\"mashsb-box\"><div class=\"mashsb-count mash-medium\" style=\"float:left\"><div class=\"counts mashsbcount\">12<\/div><span class=\"mashsb-sharetext\">SHARES<\/span><\/div><div class=\"mashsb-buttons\"><a class=\"mashicon-facebook mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservativenewsdaily.net%2Fbreaking-news%2Fdavid-souter-1939-2025-washington-examiner%2F\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Facebook<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-twitter mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?text=&amp;url=https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=2435331&amp;via=ConservNewsDly\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Twitter<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-subscribe mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"#\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Subscribe<\/span><\/a><div class=\"onoffswitch2 mash-medium mashsb-noshadow\" style=\"display:none\"><\/div><\/div>\n            <\/div>\n                <div style=\"clear:both\"><\/div><\/aside>\n            <!-- Share buttons by mashshare.net - Version: 4.0.47--><p>the article highlights the life and legacy of David Souter, a former U.S. Supreme Court Justice who passed away at the age of 85 in New Hampshire. Appointed by President George H.W. Bush in 1990, Souter was seen as a &#8220;stealth nominee&#8221; whose true judicial leanings were not evident before his confirmation. Initially expected to align with conservative ideologies, Souter surprised many by becoming part of the Court&#8217;s liberal wing, notably joining Justices to support Roe v.Wade in the 1992 Planned Parenthood v. Casey decision. His unexpected trajectory underscored the importance of thoroughly <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/democrats-and-media-enablers-are-overlooking-child-sex-crimes-to-protect-ketanji-brown-jackson\/\" title=\"Democrats And Media Enablers Are Overlooking Child Sex Crimes To Protect Ketanji Brown Jackson\">vetting judicial nominees<\/a>,leading to lasting changes in how presidents select justices.<\/p>\n<p>Souter, born in 1939 in Massachusetts and raised in New Hampshire, valued a modest lifestyle and preferred solitude over the political spotlight. He enjoyed reading historical texts and maintained a routine characterized by simplicity and introspection. After retiring from the Supreme Court in 2009, he continued to engage in public service and advocated for civics education.<\/p>\n<p>his death marks the end of a significant era for the Supreme Court, and he is remembered by colleagues for his intelligence and kindness, emphasizing the notion that a justice&#8217;s work should speak louder then the individual. Souter leaves behind a legacy that impacts the selection process of Supreme Court justices to this day.  <\/p>\n<p class=\"readmore\">\n    <button onclick=\"showReadMore()\" id=\"readmorebtn\">Read more&#8230;<\/button>\n<\/p>\n<hr id=\"line\">\n<span id=\"more\"><\/p>\n<p><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><\/p>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><span class=\"tdb-mobile-menu-button\"><i class=\"tdb-mobile-menu-icon td-icon-mobile\"><\/i><\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><span class=\"tdb-header-search-button-mob dropdown-toggle\" data-toggle=\"dropdown\"><i class=\"tdb-mobile-search-icon td-icon-search\"><\/i><\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><span class=\"tdb-mobile-menu-button\"><i class=\"tdb-mobile-menu-icon td-icon-mobile\"><\/i><\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\">\n<div class=\"tdb-drop-down-search\" aria-labelledby=\"td-header-search-button\">\n<div class=\"tdb-drop-down-search-inner\">\n<form method=\"get\" class=\"tdb-search-form\" action=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/\"><\/form>\n<div class=\"tdb-aj-search\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/#\" role=\"button\" aria-label=\"Search\" class=\"tdb-head-search-btn dropdown-toggle\" data-toggle=\"dropdown\"><i class=\"tdb-search-icon td-icon-search\"><\/i><\/a><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\">\n<h1 class=\"tdb-title-text\">David Souter, 1939-2025<\/h1>\n<div><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-title-line\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\">\n<div id=\"Brid_2117956\" class=\"tpd-featured-video bridtv\"><\/div>\n<\/p>\n<p>In a world of grandstanding and gavels, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/3406507\/former-supreme-court-justice-david-souter-dies\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"\">David Souter <\/a>was a whisper &mdash; a Granite State recluse who slipped onto the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/supreme-court\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"\">Supreme Court<\/a> in 1990 like a shadow through a side door, only to leave an indelible mark on American law and the politics of judicial selection. Appointed by President <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/george-hw-bush\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"\">George H.W. Bush<\/a>, Souter, who died this month at his home in <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/new-hampshire\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"\">New Hampshire<\/a> at 85, was the &ldquo;stealth nominee&rdquo; who confounded conservatives, delighted liberals, and taught Republicans a lesson they&rsquo;d never forget: Vet your justices, or risk a legacy that veers left.<\/p>\n<div class=\"recommended-stories\">\n<h2>Recommended Stories<\/h2>\n<ul>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/premium\/3406972\/california-coastal-commission-powers-could-be-curtailed\/\">California coastline regulator&rsquo;s powers could be curtailed<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/premium\/3411214\/zora-neale-hurston-essays-their-eyes-were-watching-god-black-conservatism\/\">Zora Neale Hurston and the fate of the black conservative<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/premium\/3408618\/the-onion-articles-biden-satire-christine-wenc-book\/\">Area historian writes account of once-funny satirical newspaper the Onion<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"article-paywall\">\n<p>Born on Sept. 17, 1939, in Melrose, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/massachusetts\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"\">Massachusetts<\/a>, David Hackett Souter was a New Englander through and through, raised in the rural hamlet of Weare, New Hampshire, where his family moved when he was 11. A bookish only child, he devoured history texts and hiked the White Mountains, cultivating a frugal, introspective life that would define him. At Concord High School, he was voted &ldquo;most likely to succeed,&rdquo; a prophecy fulfilled at Harvard University, where he <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/kavanaugh-hoaxer-ruth-marcus-cant-stop-harassing-clarence-thomas-clerk\/\" title=\"Ruth Marcus, a Kavanaugh hoaxer, continues to harass Clarence Thomas&#039; clerk\">graduated magna cum laude<\/a> in 1961, and as a Rhodes Scholar at Oxford University. By 1966, he had his law degree from Harvard and returned to New Hampshire, joining a law firm in Concord. But private practice bored him. Public service beckoned.<\/p>\n<p>Souter&rsquo;s ascent was steady, unflashy, and quintessentially Yankee. In 1968, he joined the New Hampshire attorney general&rsquo;s office, rising to deputy in 1971 and attorney general in 1976. He became a state Superior Court judge in 1978, then joined the New Hampshire Supreme Court in 1983. In 1990, Bush tapped him for the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 1st Circuit &mdash; a brief stopover before the big call came. When liberal lion Justice William J. Brennan Jr. retired that year, Bush, stung by the Senate&rsquo;s rejection of Robert Bork in 1987, wanted a safe pick. Souter, little-known outside New England, seemed perfect. John Sununu, Bush&rsquo;s chief of staff and a fellow New Hampshire Republican, called him a &ldquo;home run for conservatives.&rdquo; The Senate agreed, confirming him 90-9.<\/p>\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"alignleft size-full is-resized\"><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">U.S. Supreme Court Justice David Souter, smiles after speaking during a dedication ceremony at the State Supreme Courthouse in Concord, N.H., July 9, 2008. (Jim Cole\/AP)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<p>But Souter surprised. A jurist of restraint and a believer in precedent, his votes soon stunned the Right. In 1992, in <em>Planned Parenthood v. Casey<\/em>, he joined Justices Sandra Day O&rsquo;Connor and Anthony Kennedy to uphold <em>Roe v. Wade<\/em>, arguing that overturning it &ldquo;under fire&rdquo; would &ldquo;subvert the Court&rsquo;s legitimacy beyond any serious question.&rdquo; Conservatives said Souter betrayed them. His dissent in <em>Bush v. Gore<\/em> (2000), which halted Florida&rsquo;s ballot recount and handed the presidency to George W. Bush, further alienated the GOP.<\/p>\n<p>Souter&rsquo;s drift to the Court&rsquo;s liberal wing, on <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/abortion\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"\">abortion<\/a>, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/affirmative-action\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"\">affirmative action<\/a>, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/supreme-court-rules-for-praying-football-coach\/\" title=\"... Rules for Praying Football Coach\">church-state separation<\/a>, and gay rights, made him a darling of the Left but a cautionary tale for Republicans. His tenure sparked the cry of &ldquo;No more Souters,&rdquo; a mantra that reshaped how presidents pick justices. The Federalist Society, a conservative legal network, gained clout, ensuring nominees such as John Roberts and Samuel Alito had ironclad conservative credentials. Souter&rsquo;s &ldquo;stealth&rdquo; status, with his scant paper trail, allowed him to slip through unvetted. After him, Republican nominees faced ideological litmus tests, a legacy that endures in today&rsquo;s 6-3 conservative court. &ldquo;In this important regard, Souter was a game-changer,&rdquo; Yale Law professor Kate Stith noted.<\/p>\n<p>Off the bench, Souter was an enigma. A lifelong bachelor, he shunned Washington&rsquo;s cocktail circuit, calling it &ldquo;the world&rsquo;s worst city&rdquo; for a man who <a href=\"https:\/\/amzn.to\/3YuVZYV\" >preferred 18th-century history books<\/a> to small talk. He lived in a spartan apartment, jogged alone, and lunched on yogurt and an apple at his desk. Each summer, he&rsquo;d climb into his Volkswagen Jetta and drive home to his dilapidated Weare farmhouse, where his library sagged under the weight of his books. &ldquo;I undergo an annual intellectual lobotomy,&rdquo; he quipped of the court&rsquo;s grueling term. Technology baffled him. He wrote opinions in longhand with a fountain pen, and he opposed cameras in the courtroom, fearing they&rsquo;d politicize justice.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/magazine-obituary\/3405131\/george-ryan-life-obit-illinois-death-penalty\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"\"><strong>GEORGE RYAN, 1934-2025<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n<p>In 2009, at 69, Souter retired, younger than most justices, eager to reclaim his contemplative life. Then-President Barack Obama replaced him with Sonia Sotomayor, a New York liberal, preserving the court&rsquo;s ideological balance. Souter returned to New Hampshire, serving part-time on the 1st Circuit Court of Appeals and championing civics education. In a 2012 interview, he warned that civic ignorance could erode democracy, presaging concerns about authoritarianism. &ldquo;When problems get bad enough,&rdquo; he said, &ldquo;some one person will come forward and say, &lsquo;Give me total power.&rsquo;&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>Souter&rsquo;s death closes a chapter on a justice who prized duty over dogma and humility over hubris. Colleagues cherished his wit and warmth. Sotomayor treasured his &ldquo;insightful&rdquo; notes. Roberts praised his &ldquo;uncommon wisdom and kindness.&rdquo; Yet Souter, ever the recluse, requested no memorial, true to his belief that the work, not the man, should speak. Somewhere, in a New Hampshire attic, his fountain pen rests, its ink long dry, but its quiet strokes still echoing in the court&rsquo;s hallowed halls &mdash; and in the GOP&rsquo;s unyielding resolve to never misjudge a nominee again.<\/p>\n<p><em>Daniel Ross Goodman is a&nbsp;<\/em>Washington Examiner<em>&nbsp;contributing writer and the author, most recently, of&nbsp;<\/em>Soloveitchik&rsquo;s Children: Irving Greenberg, David Hartman, Jonathan Sacks, and the Future of Jewish Theology in America<em>.<\/em><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p> <script data-cfasync=\"false\" src=\"http:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/cdn-cgi\/scripts\/5c5dd728\/cloudflare-static\/email-decode.min.js\"><\/script><script>!function(){var g=window;g.googletag=g.googletag||{},g.googletag.cmd=g.googletag.cmd||[],g.googletag.cmd.push(function(){g.googletag.pubads().setTargeting(\"has-featured-video\",\"true\")})}();<\/script><script>var _bp=_bp||[];_bp.push({\"div\":\"Brid_2117956\",\"obj\":{\"id\":\"27789\",\"width\":\"1280\",\"height\":\"720\",\"stickyDirection\":\"below\",\"video\":\"2117956\"}});<\/script><script defer src=\"https:\/\/services.brid.tv\/player\/build\/brid.min.js\"><\/script><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<p><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>David Souter, 1939-2025: A quiet force on the Supreme Court<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2854,"featured_media":2435332,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mo_disable_npp":"","fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/Obit-0521.052125.webp","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[],"tags":[54934,37183,32229,32275,32076],"class_list":["post-2435331","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","tag-david-souter","tag-legal-history","tag-obituary","tag-supreme-court","tag-washington-examiner"],"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/Obit-0521.052125.webp","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2435331","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2854"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2435331"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2435331\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2435335,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2435331\/revisions\/2435335"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2435332"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2435331"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2435331"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2435331"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}