Sleepy NH Town Happy It's Getting Souter Back

On his final day, a testament to friendship in the face of dissent

(NEWSER) - David Souter bid farewell to the Supreme Court today, but not before taking a moment to reflect on the rewarding bonds forged between him and his fellow justices, the AP reports. Though he will leave the court, Souter told his colleagues in an open letter that he would not “retire from our friendship, which has held us together despite the pull of the most passionate dissent.” More»

(NEWSER) - Supreme Court Justice David Souter thinks the worth of a jurist is “not in the great moments, but in being part of the great stream,” he said in an emotional farewell today to appeals-court judges. Souter said he didn’t intend that news of his retirement be leaked but was glad that it “gives me the chance to say some of the things on my mind," the Washington Post reports. Judges' value comes not from perfect decisions or trials but from being "members of a great guild," he said. More»

It could air the court's 'dirty laundry': Richard Hasen

(NEWSER) - The Supreme Court could soon revisit the issue of campaign finance, and it's time we heard David Souter's opinion on the matter. Souter wrote an unpublished draft dissent against Citizens United, the case that opened the door to super PACs; it was an issue dear to his heart, notes Richard Hasen at Slate . The dissent was likely a scathing one: According to a New Yorker piece by Jeffrey Toobin, it "aired some of the Court’s dirty laundry." More»

Guess what: 80% of Americans also live in metro areas

(NEWSER) - Conservatives, desperate for some angle from which to attack Elena Kagan, have found a particularly distasteful one, complaining that she's a longtime New Yorker in a court that already has a couple, and hence can't understand the experiences of Americans in the “heartland.” It's an irritating meme, “channeling the recent conservative tendency to divide the country into 'real American' areas, and, well,” those that vote Democrat, writes Ed Kilgore on FiveThirtyEight.com . More»

Tradition sees justices sticking with party that appointed them

(NEWSER) - Supreme Court justices have traditionally waited to retire until a member of the same party that nominated them held the presidency, writes Kate Klonick for True/Slant. The custom has prevailed even when the justice’s ideology drifted away from that party. But if the rumors about John Paul Stevens’ imminent retirement are true, the Obama presidency may signal a new trend in “activist” retirement. More»