David Souter

Date of Birth: September 17, 1939

Zodiac Sign: Virgo

Biography

David Hackett Souter is a retired Associate Justice of the Supreme Court of the United States. He was born on September 17, 1939, in Melrose, Massachusetts. Souter was nominated to the Supreme Court by President George H. W. Bush and served from October 1990 until his retirement in June 2009. Before his tenure on the Supreme Court, Souter had a distinguished career in law, serving as a prosecutor, a state attorney general of New Hampshire, and a judge on the United States Court of Appeals for the First Circuit. Souter is known for his pragmatic approach to the law and his tendency to avoid ideological extremes. During his time on the Supreme Court, he often acted as a swing vote in key cases, contributing to decisions on issues such as abortion, civil rights, and the separation of church and state. After retiring from the Supreme Court, Souter returned to his home in New Hampshire and has led a relatively private life, occasionally participating in public events and lectures.

5 Interesting Facts about David Souter

1. David Souter was the only child of Joseph Alexander Souter and Helen Hackett Souter.

2. He graduated from Harvard College in 1961 and subsequently attended Magdalen College, Oxford, as a Rhodes Scholar.

3. Souter is known for his extensive handwritten notes taken during court proceedings and his preference for traditional methods over modern technology.

4. He was initially perceived as a conservative justice but often sided with the liberal wing of the Court on significant issues.

5. David Souter enjoys hiking and is known for spending his summers hiking in the White Mountains of New Hampshire.

5 Most Interesting Quotes from David Souter

1. “The first lesson, simple as it is, is that whatever court we’re in, whatever we are doing, at the end of the day, we will be faithful to our oath.”

2. “The Constitution is a document that inherently has a lot of ambiguities, and it is our job to resolve those ambiguities for the times in which we live.”

3. “A judge who likes every outcome he reaches is very likely a bad judge.”

4. “Wisdom too often never comes, and so one ought not to reject it merely because it comes late.”

5. “The job of a judge is to ask, ‘What is the law?’ and not ‘What do I want the law to be?’”