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 | |
| 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. 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).
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.