Justice Souter Retiring

Earlier today Justice David H. Souter informed the White House that he intends to retire from the United States Supreme Court this June. Justice Souter was appointed to the Supreme Court in 1990 by President Georgia H. W. Bush and has served 18 years. Although Justice Souter was appointed by a conservative president, he has been a part of the liberal bloc of the court and many have considered Justice Souter a typical Yankee Republican, moderate but independent.

Justice Souter’s departure from the court will provide President Obama with an opportunity to appoint his replacement. President Obama hopes to appoint “somebody with a sharp, independent mind and a record of excellence and integrity.” Moreover, President Obama “will seek someone who understands that justice isn’t about some abstract legal theory or footnote in a casebook”.

The New York Times speculates the following individuals are candidates for the position – Sonia Sotomayor, who sits on the federal appeals court in New York; Kim M. Wardlaw, who is on the federal appeals court in California; Leah Ward Sears, who is chief justice on the Supreme Court of Georgia; Kathleen M. Sullivan, a professor at the Stanford Law School; Diane P. Wood, a judge on the appellate court based in Chicago; and Elena Kagan, U.S. Solicitor General.