Supreme Court Justice David Souter to retire
UPDATE, 9:30a: Souter’s abortion history on the SC, according to Americans United for Life press release:
… Senior Counsel Clarke Forsythe stated, “Justice David Souter is one of the most pro-abortion members of the US Supreme Court. During his tenure, Justice Souter voted to uphold abortion on demand and to strike down common sense abortion regulations that the vast majority of Americans support. He voted in 2000 and again in 2007 to strike down prohibitions on the barbaric practice of partial-birth abortion. As many votes on abortion have been 5-4 decisions, his presence on the Court has extended the tragedy of abortion by restricting the right of states to make their own decisions on abortion law.”
And from CNNPolitics.com…
In reality, Souter was in many ways a typical, old-fashioned Yankee Republican – a moderate with an independent, even quirky streak. Whether he became more liberal in his views after joining the Supreme Court, as many conservatives believe, may depend on your politics.
“Justice Souter will never escape the label of having been an enormous disappointment, a traitor to the right,” said Thomas Goldstein, a Washington appellate attorney and founder of Scotusblog.com. “It instead created the opportunity to entrench a series of more liberal rulings. So he became the right’s greatest failure and we will forever hear the mantra ‘No More Souters’ from conservatives.”
UPDATE, 9a: More informative articles on Souter’s retirement can be found at CNNPolitics.com, the Associated Press, and the Chicago Tribune.
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Wow, everyone expected the 1st to go would be Ruth Bader Ginsburg or John Paul Stevens.
This today from the New York Times:
Justice David H. Souter plans to retire at the end of the term in June, giving President Obama his first appointment to the Supreme Court, 4 people informed about the decision said Thursday night.
Justice Souter, who was appointed in 1990 by a Republican president, the first George Bush, but became 1 of the most reliable members of the court’s liberal wing, has grown increasingly sour on Washington and intends to return to his home state, NH, according to the people briefed on his plans. One official said the decision might be announced as early as Friday.
The departure will open the 1st seat for a Democratic president to fill in 15 years and could prove a test of Mr. Obama’s plans for reshaping the nation’s judiciary. Confirmation battles for the Supreme Court in recent years have proved to be intensely partisan and divisive moments in Washington, but Mr. Obama has more leeway than his predecessors because his party holds such a strong majority in the Senate.
Replacing Justice Souter with a liberal would not change the basic makeup of the court, where he and 3 other justices hold down the left wing against a conservative caucus of 4 justices. Justice Anthony Kennedy, a moderate Republican appointee, often provides the swing vote that controls important decisions.
[Top photo courtesy of CNNPolitics.com; bottom photo courtesy of the NYT
Jill Stanek is a nurse turned speaker, columnist and blogger, a national figure in the effort to protect both preborn and postborn innocent human life.
Rather expected, he had not hired a clerk for the upcoming term yet and he has not been happy on the court since at least 2000 when he nearly left in the wake of the Bush v. Gore decision.
With that said, its not likely to have a radical change on the court only going to ensure that that seat will remain liberal for the next 25 yrs.
Obama is looking for tax cheats and other problems. I suspect obama will embarass himself and then come out with massive urgency. He is intimidated by people asking him or his appointments questions.
Now that Obama is finishing his first 24 hours and a Used car salesman, he has a lot on his plate.
Chrysler has stopped building cars. Zero. It may or may not ramp up production again. He has announced that he saved 30,000 jobs. The suppliers are not shipping because of fear of payment.
\Every SCOTUS appointment is risky. It is not easy to predict how they will rule.
It is very easy to predict how current Judges will rule.
Specter’s switch to Democrat leaves the Senate Judiciary Committee with the possibility to filibuster any potential replacement because the rules require at least one vote from the minority party. That would have been Specter -which makes him look like a long-term plant.
“No More ‘Souters’ from conservatives.”
darn right. This liberal liar was disaster for pro-life causes.
hmmm…..so who’s the most probable pro-abortion, extreme-left, liberal judge that will legislate from the bench that president abortion will nominate next??
The gov of Michigan has been mentioned.
Wow! Souter ruled against bans on partial birth abortion…multiple times?
Father Pavone gives an eloquent, detailed explanation of this horrific evil perpetrated on a beautiful little child. (PriestsForLife.org)
Unfortunately, too many Christians and pro-lifers still choose to turn away from the details and graphic images of this procedure. Often they even attack or, at least, disregard the messengers of this information as has Billy Graham, Rick Warren and Joel Osteen to mention a few.
What in the name of God will Souter say to his Maker when confronted with his facilitation of this horrific evil?
What in the name of God will Souter say to his Maker when confronted with his facilitation of this horrific evil?
Posted by: Rick at May 1, 2009 11:15 AM
“I did the best I could”
Hate to burst your bubble folks, but roughly 65% of Americans support a woman’s right to choose what happens to her own body. Full stop.
Justice Souter is a man of principle, and will be sorely missed on the bench. His service to our nation will not soon be forgotten.
We can only pray that his replacement will live up to his example.
Souter has been a good, but not great, justice. I am still not happy with his eminent domain ruling a few years back. His replacement will be an improvement, I’m sure.
Here’s a peek into the brilliant mind of Justice Souter.
During his 1990 Senate confirmation hearing, he parried a question about the rights of citizens by saying; “I’d rather have a right to do something than a right to stop someone else.”
Good stuff.
Farslowe and Hal
Please for the love of God…. LOOK AT THE IMAGES of the dismembered, ripped-apart babies!
65%… 99.9%… do these precious little ones care about percentages when this barbarian thrice prevented bans on a procedure where the ‘good doctor’ punctures a hole, the size of a quarter, in the base of the babie’s skull then inserts a vacuum tube and SUCKS OUT THE BRAINS!!
…imminent domain?… right of the woman to choose?… what is the matter with you people?
Farslowe (ethel?),
Are you the one the cheered the video of the late-term aborion in a previous thread.
Hate to burst your bubble folks, but roughly 65% of Americans support a woman’s right to choose what happens to her own body. Full stop.
Justice Souter is a man of principle, and will be sorely missed on the bench. His service to our nation will not soon be forgotten.
We can only pray that his replacement will live up to his example.
Posted by: Farslowe at May 1, 2009 12:26 PM
wrong! support for a woman’s right to choose to kill her baby has dropped
The proportion saying that abortion should be legal in all or most cases has declined to 46% from 54% last August.
from Jill’s recent posting on April 30.
…imminent domain?… right of the woman to choose?… what is the matter with you people?
Posted by: Rick at May 1, 2009 1:24 PM
Nothings wrong with us. A woman’s right to choose is important.
…imminent domain?… right of the woman to choose?… what is the matter with you people?
Rick, do you find something wrong with caring about eminent domain? It’s s completely separate issue from abortion but it is an important issue nonetheless. I, too, was REALLY disappointed in Souter’s position on that.
Alexandra
No, I understand it is completely separate from abortion but do you see a paralell here? Souter sides with forcefully taking someone’s home for the “good of the state”… and he also rules repeatedly in favor of a procedure which literally punctures the skull of a child so that a vacuum hose can be inserted to suck the baby’s brains out. Do you understand what I just said? Please visit PriestsForLife.org to get a detailed description of this horror. In both cases, Souter rules in favor of the state to TAKE from the citizen, things it should never be allowed to take!
How can you remain silent about this? Why is it only about the woman and her right to choose.? Will you please be willing to visit and spend some real time at this website mentioned and also abortionNo.org to view the reality of abortion? Please respond.
Oh, okay Rick, I wasn’t quite clear on what you were saying. Thanks for responding.
Who says I remain silent about anything?
Finish the phrase, Hal.
A woman’s right to choose….to kill her own growing child.
Carla, everyone knows what a woman’s right to choose means. The right to terminate a pregnancy, or, if you prefer, the right to kill her own growing child.
Hal said, “Nothing’s wrong with us. A woman’s right [to kill her own growing child] is important.”
Conservatives gear up for Supreme Court fight
Republicans had difficulty getting sea legs when Supreme Court justice David Souter announced 3 weeks ago he was retiring. But Republicans may – just may – be abandoning the frustrating cordiality not returned to them on SC nominees. Reported the…