David Hackett Souter

by Tinsley E. Yarbrough

"When the first President Bush chose David Hackett Souter for the Supreme Court in 1990, Souter - the slender New Englander with the shy demeanor and ambiguous past - was quickly dubbed a "stealth candidate." Determined to avoid a repeat of the firestorm surrounding President Reagan's nomination of the controversial Robert Bork, Bush opted for Souter, who had, remarkably, produced only one law review article in his legal career. Souter, an obscure but well-respected New Hampshire conservative, seemed unlikely to arouse the kind of passionate opposition that defined the Bork confirmation process. And, indeed, Souter was accepted onto the Court with little fuss." "Today, fifteen years into his tenure, Souter remains as enigmatic and unpredictable as ever, a mystery even to avid Court watchers.^ Who is David Hackett Souter and what will be his legacy on the Supreme Court? Sifting through Souter's opinions, papers of the justice's contemporaries, and other relevant records and interviews,