David Souter, former Supreme Court justice and GOP nominee who often sided with liberals, dies

WASHINGTON – Former Supreme Court Associate Justice David Souter, an enigmatic Republican nominee who coiled up siding with his wide colleagues successful galore of the highest-profile cases to travel earlier the tribunal successful his 19-year tenure, has died.

He was 85.

Souter died peacefully connected May 8 astatine location successful New Hampshire, according to a connection from the court.

Chief Justice John Roberts said Souter brought "uncommon contented and kindness to a beingness of nationalist service."

"He volition beryllium greatly missed," Roberts said successful a statement.

A erstwhile New Hampshire lawyer general, Souter’s inheritance arsenic a New England mean enactment him astatine likelihood with the much blimpish Republican Party forged by Ronald Reagan’s presidency. That position often left Souter successful dissent connected a blimpish precocious court led by erstwhile Chief Justice William Rehnquist.

An intensely backstage antheral who eschewed Washington’s societal country and seldom appeared in public, Souter was a cardinal fig successful a 1992 determination upholding the law close to abortion – an result that near conservatives feeling betrayed. "No More Souters" became a rallying outcry connected the close for a time.

Souter was nominated to the tribunal by President George H.W. Bush successful 1990 – the Republican president’s archetypal pick. Largely unknown, with fewer nationalist remarks, Souter was considered a politically palatable prime arsenic the contentious Senate rejection of Reagan nominee Robert Bork 3 years earlier inactive rattled Washington.

Bush had recovered a nominee with little baggage – the Senate confirmed him 90-9 – but due to the fact that helium was comparatively unknown, Souter earned the nickname "stealth nominee."

Souter had served connected the Boston-based U.S. Court of Appeals for the 1st Circuit for conscionable much than 4 months earlier Bush picked him for the precocious court. He had erstwhile served arsenic a justness connected the New Hampshire Supreme Court.

The Harvard Law School postgraduate and Rhodes scholar, who ne'er married, wrote the 5-4 bulk determination successful 2005 ruling that the display of the Ten Commandments successful Kentucky courthouses unconstitutional. A decennary earlier, helium wrote the bulk sentiment allowing Boston’s St. Patrick’s Day parade to exclude LGBTQ rights groups.

But Souter whitethorn beryllium champion remembered for his dissents. When the tribunal successful 1995 struck down a national instrumentality banning the possession of a handgun wrong 1,000 feet of a schoolhouse connected the grounds that Congress exceeded its authorization nether the commerce clause, Souter asserted successful dissent that the tribunal should person alternatively deferred to Congress .

Five years later, a bulk led by Rehnquist struck down portion of the 1994 Violence Against Women Act that allowed victims to writer assailants for damages. Again the tribunal ruled the instrumentality violated Congress’ commerce powerfulness and again Souter countered the Constitution gave lawmakers wide powerfulness to determine however to specify commerce.

Souter besides dissented successful Bush v. Gore, the lawsuit that decided the 2000 predetermination for President George W. Bush.

With his adust consciousness of humor, Souter seemed progressively anxious to permission Washington and instrumentality to New Hampshire successful his last years connected the court. In an antithetic nationalist quality successful 2009, the justness quipped offhandedly that helium underwent thing of an "annual intelligence lobotomy" during the court's October-to-June term.

Months later, soon aft President Barack Obama had taken office, helium announced his retirement. At 69, helium was 1 of the youngest justices to discontinue from the precocious court. Souter continued to perceive and determine cases connected the First Circuit successful retirement.

He was succeeded by Associate Justice Sonia Sotomayor.

"I retired erstwhile the Supreme Court roseate for the summertime recess successful 2009, and a mates of weeks aboriginal I drove northbound from Washington with nary regrets astir the anterior 19 years oregon astir the determination to effort surviving a much mean beingness for immoderate clip mightiness remain," helium told Harvard successful a 2011 people report.

This nonfiction primitively appeared connected USA TODAY: David Souter, a erstwhile Supreme Court justness who upheld abortion, dies