David Souter Fast Facts

Here is a look at the life of David Souter, former United States Supreme Court Associate Justice.

Birth date: September 17, 1939

Birth place: Melrose, Massachusetts

Birth name: David Hackett Souter

Father: Joseph Alexander Souter, banker

Mother: Helen Adams (Hackett) Souter, store clerk

Education: Harvard University, A.B., 1961; Rhodes Scholar at Magdalen College at the University of Oxford, 1961-1963; Harvard Law School, L.L.B., 1966

Religion: Episcopalian

Dissented in several landmark Supreme Court decisions during his tenure including, Bush v. Gore and Agostini v. Felton.

Considered a liberal to moderate justice. Defender of abortion rights, affirmative action, broad congressional power and campaign finance restrictions.

His legal views were little known during confirmation. He was called the “stealth nominee.”

Former New Hampshire Attorney General and New Hampshire Supreme Court Justice.

1966-1968 – Practices at Orr & Reno in Concord, New Hampshire.

1968-1971 – Assistant Attorney General of New Hampshire.

1971-1976 – Deputy Attorney General of New Hampshire.

1976-1978 – Attorney General of New Hampshire.

1978-1983 – Associate Justice of the Superior Court of New Hampshire.

1978-1984 – President of the Board of Trustees of Concord Hospital.

1980-1985 – Vice president of New Hampshire Historical Society.

1983 – Appointed to the Supreme Court of New Hampshire as an associate justice.

May 25, 1990 – Becomes a judge of the US Court of Appeals for the First Circuit.

July 25, 1990 – Nominated to the Supreme Court by President George H.W. Bush.

October 2, 1990 – Confirmed by the Senate, by a vote of 90-9. Receives commission on October 3.

October 9, 1990-June 29, 2009 – 105th justice of the US Supreme Court, filling the seat held by Justice William Brennan.

April 30, 2004 – While jogging near his home in Washington, DC, Souter is assaulted by several men and taken to a local hospital with minor injuries, according to police and court officials. The attack, which occurred around 9 pm ET, is suspected to be merely random and not targeted at Souter.

January 2006 – A group of activists in Souter’s hometown of Weare, New Hampshire, angered by his support of eminent domain in the Supreme Court case Kelo v. New London, gather signatures and rally support in hopes of seizing Souter’s property to build a bed and breakfast called the “Lost Liberty Hotel.” Voters later reject the proposal.

May 1, 2009 – Souter announces his retirement from the Supreme Court.

June 29, 2009 – Souter’s last day on the Supreme Court.

January 2010 – Begins hearing cases by designation for the US Circuit Court of Appeals, First Circuit, in Boston.

March 14, 2013 – Souter is part of a three-judge panel on the First Circuit Court of Appeals that grants Whitey Bulger’s petition to replace the presiding judge in his case.

March 24, 2020 – As part of a three-judge panel for the First Circuit US Court of Appeals, Souter joins in an opinion striking down the US Department of Justice and US Attorney General William Barr’s argument that they can legally halt government funding to cities and states that do not assist the Trump administration with the identification and deportation of illegal immigrants in their jurisdiction.