Souter thanks fellow justices for friendship
In a letter, they told him that his departure from the court leaves them with "a profound sense of loss."
WASHINGTON - It took Justice David Souter's final day at the Supreme Court to bring him into the limelight after nearly two decades in Washington.
A New England Republican who became a member of the court's liberal bloc, the typically reticent Souter opened up a bit yesterday, saying how much the strong bonds forged with his fellow justices had meant to him.
At the close of the morning's business, Souter read aloud from a letter to his colleagues, saying that friendship "has held us together" despite sometimes strong disagreements.
As it has for much of his tenure, disagreement was the order of Souter's last day, with the justice on the losing end of a 5-4 decision in favor of white firefighters in New Haven, Conn., who argued they were unfairly denied promotions because of their race.
Souter, 69, joined the court at a moment when it appeared the court could overrule its landmark abortion rights decision, Roe v. Wade.
Instead, in 1992, in what perhaps remains his most noted work, Souter joined in a ruling reaffirming a woman's right to an abortion. The decision bitterly disappointed conservatives and elated liberals who viewed Souter warily when he was named by President George H.W. Bush.
Eight years later, he was one of four liberal justices who dissented from the court's ruling in Bush v. Gore, which cemented George W. Bush as the victor in the 2000 election.
In a letter to Souter, his fellow justices wrote that "we have all felt a profound sense of loss. . . . For nearly 20 years, the court has had the benefit of your wisdom, civility and dedication."
Souter responded in his own letter: "We have agreed or contended with each other over those things that matter to decent people in a civil society. . . . "I will not sit with you at our bench again after the Court rises for the Summer this time, but neither will I retire from our friendship."
As various justices made the rounds of Washington's social scene, Souter had no use for celebrity. He maintained a small apartment close to a military installation where he would jog regularly in the evenings. At the end of each Supreme Court term, he would quickly return to the New Hampshire home that has been in his family for generations.
"We understand your desire to trade white marble for White Mountains," the justices wrote in their letter. which Chief Justice John Roberts read in court.
"Your generous letter has touched me more than I can say," Souter replied.