Editing David Souter (section)

=== Retirement ===
[[File:Justice david souter harvard commencement 2010.JPG|thumb|Souter receiving an honorary degree from [[Harvard University]] on May 27, 2010]]
Long before the election of President Obama, Souter had expressed a desire to leave Washington, D.C., and return to New Hampshire.<ref name=wapo043009>{{cite news |last1=Barnes |first1=Robert |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/04/30/AR2009043004361.html |title=Souter Reportedly Planning to Retire From High Court |newspaper=The Washington Post |date=May 1, 2009 |access-date=August 26, 2017 |archive-date=April 1, 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170401163228/http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/04/30/AR2009043004361.html |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.seattletimes.com/seattle-news/politics/justice-souter-longs-for-rural-hideaway/|title=Justice Souter longs for rural hideaway|last=Rucker|first=Philip|date=May 3, 2009|website=The Seattle Times|language=en-US|access-date=October 18, 2019|archive-date=October 18, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191018023501/https://www.seattletimes.com/seattle-news/politics/justice-souter-longs-for-rural-hideaway/|url-status=live}}</ref> The election of a Democratic president in 2008 may have made Souter more inclined to retire, but he did not want to create a situation in which there would be multiple vacancies at once.<ref name="npr_20090430">{{cite news|url=https://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=103694193|title=Supreme Court Justice Souter To Retire|last1=Totenberg|first1=Nina|date=April 30, 2009|work=NPR|access-date=May 29, 2009|archive-date=May 4, 2009|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090504031636/http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=103694193|url-status=live}}</ref> Souter apparently became satisfied that no other justices planned to retire at the end of the Supreme Court's term in June 2009.<ref name=npr_20090430 /> As a result, in mid-April 2009 he privately notified the White House of his intent to retire at the conclusion of that term.<ref name=nyt_20090528>{{cite news |last1=Baker |first1=Peter |last2=Nagourney |first2=Adam |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2009/05/28/us/politics/28select.html |title=Sotomayor Pick a Product of Lessons From Past Battles |work=The New York Times |date=May 28, 2009 |access-date=May 29, 2009 |archive-date=March 16, 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150316085646/http://www.nytimes.com/2009/05/28/us/politics/28select.html |url-status=live }}</ref> Souter sent Obama a retirement letter on May 1, effective at the start of the Supreme Court's 2009 summer recess.<ref name="Souter Resignation letter-2009-05-01">{{cite news|work=The New York Times| date = May 1, 2009| title = David H. Souter Letter to President Obama, May&nbsp;1, 2009| url = http://graphics8.nytimes.com/packages/pdf/politics/20090501_Souter.pdf| last = Souter| first = David H.| access-date = May 20, 2010| archive-date = May 21, 2009| archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20090521064919/http://graphics8.nytimes.com/packages/pdf/politics/20090501_Souter.pdf| url-status = live}}</ref> Later that day Obama made an unscheduled appearance during the daily White House press briefing to announce Souter's retirement.<ref name=nyt_20090501>[http://thecaucus.blogs.nytimes.com/2009/05/01/obama-announces-souters-retirement/ Obama Announces Souter Retirement] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090504171832/http://thecaucus.blogs.nytimes.com/2009/05/01/obama-announces-souters-retirement/ |date=May 4, 2009 }}, ''The New York Times'', Caucus Blog, May 1, 2009</ref> On May 26, 2009, Obama announced his nomination of federal appeals court judge [[Sonia Sotomayor]].<ref>{{cite news |title=Sonia Sotomayor: Obama's Supreme Court Replacement for Ginsburg? |url=http://www.esquire.com/features/75-most-influential/obama-supreme-court-pick-1008 |work=[[Esquire (magazine)|Esquire]] |date=February 6, 2009 |access-date=May 1, 2009 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090415235838/http://www.esquire.com/features/75-most-influential/obama-supreme-court-pick-1008 |archive-date=April 15, 2009}}</ref> She was confirmed by the U.S. Senate on August 6.<ref>{{cite web |title=U.S. Senate Roll Call Votes 105th Congress – 2nd Session |url=https://www.senate.gov/legislative/LIS/roll_call_lists/roll_call_vote_cfm.cfm?congress=105&session=2&vote=00295 |publisher=[[United States Senate]] |access-date=February 16, 2018 |archive-date=December 10, 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171210060851/https://www.senate.gov/legislative/LIS/roll_call_lists/roll_call_vote_cfm.cfm?congress=105&session=2&vote=00295 |url-status=live}}</ref>

On June 29, 2009, the last day of the Court's 2008–2009 term, Chief Justice Roberts read a letter to Souter that had been signed by all eight of his colleagues as well as retired Justice [[Sandra Day O'Connor]], thanking him for his service, and Souter read a letter to his colleagues reciprocating their good wishes.<ref>{{cite news |last=Phillips |first=Kate |url=http://thecaucus.blogs.nytimes.com/2009/06/29/souter-and-justices-exchange-farewells/ |title=Souter and Justices Exchange Farewells |work=The New York Times |date=June 29, 2009 |access-date=July 9, 2009 |archive-date=July 3, 2009 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090703072317/http://thecaucus.blogs.nytimes.com/2009/06/29/souter-and-justices-exchange-farewells/ |url-status=live }}</ref>

Souter's papers have been donated to the [[New Hampshire Historical Society]] and will not be made public until at least 50 years after his death.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Gresko |first=Jessica |date=May 11, 2022 |title=For Supreme Court justices, secrecy is part of the job |url=https://apnews.com/article/covid-us-supreme-court-health-87c198ea3de079eaf3121ffeb4985ba0 |access-date=May 16, 2022 |website=[[Associated Press]] |language=en}}</ref>