Retired Supreme Court Judge David Souter has died aged 85. Justice Souter, a New Hampshire-born attorney, was appointed by George H.W. Bush and spent nearly two decades as a member of the Supreme Court, serving from 1990 to 2009. Initially picked as a conservative replacement for liberal Justice William Brennan, Souter soon proved himself to be a pragmatic and non-ideological voice and voted against the Republicans on a number of key issues such as abortion and the Bush v Gore election recount in 2000. Following his retirement he was replaced by Sonia Sotomayor, the first Hispanic member of the Supreme Court and the first to be appointed by Barack Obama. Souter is said to have “died peacefully at home” and has been praised for his lifelong commitment to public service. In a statement, Chief Justice John Roberts said: “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.” He added: “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.”
