You know what? A thousand thanks to Judge Souter for sticking out the Bush administration...

[Hekate]

If he dislikes Washington as much as is rumored, it must have been especially hard to stay all the way to the bitter end of our national nightmare so that SOMEONE ELSE could appoint his replacement.

God bless the man.

Hekate

[CaliforniaPeggy]

1. Agreed.

He definitely had our country's best interests at heart, dealing with that administration.

[JeffR]

2. Souter has been a cautious and wise jurist in an era devoid of

both caution and wisdom. Here's to him!

[John Q. Citizen]

3. Absolutely. What a responsibilty.

[AtomicKitten]

4. Hear, hear.

:patriot:

[tuvor]

5. That's what I like about DU.

Hearing perspectives I would have never otherwise entertained.

Thanks, Hekate.

[Control-Z]

6. It's too bad

we have to lose one of the good ones. Many thanks to him for hanging on through the tough of it.

[SamCooke]

7. I just hope his replacement doesn't turn conservative all of a sudden

[JohnnyLib2]

8. Yup.

Rec.

[Withywindle]

9. Totally agreed.

I'm glad he did that, and I wish him a healthy and happy retirement.

[Joe the Liberal]

10. It's kind of ironic for him to be appointed by Bush senior.........

and turn out to be one of the more liberal of the judges. Hopefully Obama appoints a good liberal judge that won't turn conservative on us.

[grantcart]

11. got that right

[Hekate]

12. From 2001 onward I often signed emails to friends "We shall live to see better days"...

And my dear friends, we have.

Hekate

[Festivito]

13. Indeed. /nt

[stray cat]

14. Agreed! He wanted to retire earlier but waited for a new administration - thats patriotic

[SemiCharmedQuark]

15. Amen. After losiing O'Conner, it was critical that he stay until someone Bush left.

[Supersedeas]

19. image another Roberts/Scalito clone on the Court

[nsd]

20. Why would we care about O'Connor?

She was one of the five votes that decided Bush v. Gore.

[SemiCharmedQuark]

21. Because she was leaps and bounds better than Alito or Roberts.

[Jennicut]

35. I know but she also was a moderate on the court, not a conservative

[Jane Eyre]

16. I hope he writes a tell-all book

Seriously. Imagine what could happen if Souter tells what he knows about the right-wing court decisions, specifically Bush v. Gore. And imagine the effect that could have as the details of the torture policy unwind.

I predict that Obama will appoint four justices during his term in office - replacements for Souter (age 69), Ginsburg (age 76), Stevens (age 89) and Breyer (age 70). All are non-rightwingers who will likely take advantage of the opportunity to retire while a Democrat is president and there are 60 Democratic Senators. Replacing these four would likely not have an effect on the political leanings of the present court, though it could extend the time frame of the idealogical leaning to our side if Obama selects younger justices.

We're probably stuck with GW Bush's two young rightwing appointees, Alito and Roberts.

That leaves Scalia, Kennedy and Thomas. I can't see those three retiring while Obama is president, however the three of them were involved in what may be the worst court decision in history - Bush v. Gore - which resulted in the most disasterous presidency in US history. What if the American people become so disgusted with the revelations of what the Bush administration did in their name that they are finally ready to take a fresh look at just how this rightwing cabal overturned the will of the people to select GW Bush?

[Laelth]

30. Kennedy might. Otherwise, I agree with you. n/t

:dem:

-Laelth

[glitch]

17. K & R on that! nt

[nichomachus]

18. Thanks to Souter for driving Ken Starr stark raving mad

A little known story is that Ken Starr thought he had a lock on a Supreme Court nomination. Souter got the job instead.

When Starr got the news, he was in the bar at the Willard Hotel in DC. According to a friend who happened to be in the same room, Starr got absolutely shitfaced and let go with a "fuck you" barrage that would have made a bunch of Marines blush.

[StrongBad]

22. Ooh that's juicy!

[Hekate]

25. That's a beaut! So behind that dimply smile is a bitter & vengeful man, more so than we already knew

[Olney Blue]

44. LOL. What an ass.

[opihimoimoi]

23. Happy Trails Time......off to some fun in the sun

[rufus dog]

24. Give him credit

He may have stayed gone to work for eight years while not wanting to be there. Can never understand why some on the SC and Senators want to work until they die. Can you imagine having to sit with Scalia on a daily basis.

[Lucky Luciano]

26. The job is pretty cushy though. I mean how long are they really in session?

Plus, when you are older it is best to keep the brain working - I think that is why they all seem to live a long time - relatively short working hours (annually) and good use of the brain when working....and they all seems to make it past 85 years.

[LuckyLib]

51. Souter indicated that the intellectual heft of the SC work was minimal,

something to the effect of his brain having to shut down during that time. Having to listen to some of the other idiots must have done him in. Clarence Thomas' thoughtful opinions on weighty topics, anyone?

[ailsagirl]

27. A fervent AMEN

[Laelth]

28. Hear, hear!

Kudos to Justice John Paul Stevens, too.

:dem:

-Laelth

[polichick]

29. It was especially gracious of him, considering all the ridicule he got from the right.

[Uncle Joe]

31. Thank you for your service, Justice Souter.

:patriot:

Thanks for the thread, Hekate.

[cbc5g]

32. Yes he deserves all our admiration

[rhett o rick]

33. Second that. nm

[bvar22]

34. K&R

And a salute for Justice Souter.
:patriot:

[pleah]

36. K&R Unlike O'Connor.

:-(

[Cha]

37. Excellent sentiment and may

he live out his golden years where he's happiest.

bush got two right wingshits so I'm thinking we're going to get who Prez Obama wants.

[tbyg52]

38. Many, many thanks. nt

[Milspec]

39. Can anyone research this post from the "other site"

for any historical truth (I've taken my 4 lara tab of the day and just can't do it)...

"Byron White was appointed by (D)Johnson. History shows that he became increasingly Conservative on the SC. He could have retired and been replaced by a Republican President but he thought that it was only right that since he was appointed by a Democrat he should be replaced by a Democrat. It was the “tradition” if a SC Justice chose to retire, and not expire, that you defer to a President of the same party who appointed you."

Not that I give a rats ass about some “tradition”.

[Number23]

40. Love it, Hekate! You are so right

And I'm also loving this new vibe on DU. I don't know what's happened, but the last five or so days on this site have been blissful.

Lots of happy news and lots of happy people celebrating the happy news. Either folks are starting to let go of some of their cynicism or they're just not posting it here as much as before.

Happy to rec. Three cheers to Souter for sticking it out and not forcing the American people to have to endure a lifetime Bush II Supreme Court appointment.

[nevergiveup]

41. Rumor has it that he openly wept after Bush vs Gore

Thank you Judge Souter for your service to your country.

[Hekate]

52. I didn't know that, but I love him for it. It was a coup d'etat, & I'm glad someone on the Court...

... also saw how deeply evil this was for our country, even though he might not use the same words as I. I am all the more grateful that Justice Souter decided to stick with the SCOTUS until Bush the Lesser departed.

Hekate

[mckara]

42. Thank You, Justice Souter!!!!!!!!

:patriot:

[LittleBlue]

43. Thank you, Justice Souter.

A noble sacrifice for us all.

[DesertDiamond]

45. Thank you for this thread!!! Judge Souter is one of my heroes.

[omega minimo]

46. Count those upholding the Rule of Law on one hand

:hi:

[Flying Dream Blues]

47. Hear, hear! Now go write that book, please! nt

[defendandprotect]

48. I appreciate it too -- !!!

[valerief]

49. You're absolutely correct! Thank you, Justice Souter. nt

[JDPriestly]

50. Absolutely. K&R.

I think I'd rather be in New Hampshire than in D.C. too.

[Joanne98]

53. Thank you Judge Souter!!!!!!!!!!