David Hackett Souter was born on September 17, 1939, and died on May 8, 2025, and served as an associate justice of the Supreme Court of the United States from 1990 to 2009, appointed by President George H. W. Bush to succeed Justice William J. Brennan Jr. Before his elevation he served as a prosecutor and then attorney general of New Hampshire, sat on the New Hampshire Superior Court and Supreme Court, and briefly on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the First Circuit. A member of both the Rehnquist and Roberts Courts, he co-authored the controlling opinion in Planned Parenthood v. Casey with Justices Sandra Day OConnor and Anthony Kennedy. He announced his retirement in 2009, early in Barack Obamas presidency, and was succeeded by Sonia Sotomayor, after which he continued to hear cases by designation at the appeals court level.
Facts
RoleAssociate Justice of the Supreme Court of the United States, 1990 to 2009 1 Nationality / Jurisdiction BirthplaceMelrose, Massachusetts, U.S. 1 Place of DeathHopkinton, New Hampshire, U.S. 1 Classification
Field of Law Role
Role (category) FAQs
Which seat did David Souter fill on the Supreme Court and who followed him?
He took William Brennan's seat in 1990 and retired in 2009, succeeded by Sonia Sotomayor.
President George H. W. Bush appointed Souter to the seat vacated by William J. Brennan Jr., and he served as an associate justice from 1990 to 2009. Before that he had been a New Hampshire prosecutor, the state's attorney general, and a justice of the New Hampshire Superior Court and Supreme Court, and briefly a judge of the First Circuit Court of Appeals in 1990. He announced his retirement in mid-2009 after Barack Obama took office and was succeeded by Sonia Sotomayor.
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Source David Souter (Wikipedia)Lead sentence 1tier 2Quote, Lead sentence 1
David Hackett Souter ( 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 to 2009.
Sources
1. David Souter (Wikipedia)
Wikipedia contributorsIntroduction
David Hackett Souter ( 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 to 2009.
Early life and education section
Souter was born in Melrose, Massachusetts, on September 17, 1939, the only child of Joseph Alexander Souter and Helen Adams (Hackett) Souter.
Later life and death sections
Souter died in his home on May 8, 2025, aged 85. ... In early August 2009, Souter moved from his family farmhouse in Weare to a Cape Cod-style single-story house in nearby Hopkinton, New Hampshire.
Introduction
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).
- Member Of: United States Supreme Court, lead states served as an Associate Justice of the Supreme Court of the United States from 1990 to 2009
View the Source Wikidata: David Souter
Wikidata Q472547 self-citation (QID resolved for a previously unsourced jurist)
P31 (instance of): human; QID resolved and verified for this jurist (David Souter)
- In Legal System: Law of the United States, David Hackett Souter ( SOO-tər; September 17, 1939, May 8, 2025) was an American lawyer and jurist who served as an Ass
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