WASHINGTON — U.S. Supreme Court Justice David Souter became emotional Tuesday during a judges’ conference in Philadelphia, saying he had not expected to talk of retirement.
“I didn’t intend to have this be a farewell,” Souter told the judges and lawyers at the annual conference of the 3rd Circuit Court of Appeals. “I swear to you that I was not the leak.”
In recent months, Souter had told a number of people privately that he intended to retire when the court term ended this summer. But when the news got out last week, he met with the justices Friday and then sent a two-line letter to President Barack Obama confirming his retirement.
“I’m glad though. It gives me a chance to say some things on my mind,” the justice said Tuesday. “I’ve been doing a mental reckoning of sorts.”
Souter avoided all mention of controversial issues and cases, but said he took great pride in doing the daily work of a judge. It is the work of a “craftsman,” he said. “It is doing something worthwhile and trying to do it well.”
As a state supreme court judge in New Hampshire and in his 19 years on the U.S. Supreme Court, Souter was best known among judges for carefully studying and weighing the record in each case. He was less interested in applying broad principles to all cases, and more interested in finding the right result in each case.
Souter also spoke of former Justice William J. Brennan Jr., who also had represented the Philadelphia-based 3rd Circuit.
He stepped down in 1990 after suffering a stroke, clearing the way for Souter to be appointed by President George H.W. Bush.
“It seemed like only yesterday,” Souter said, referring to when he first spoke to the group in 1990, adding that he had consulted Brennan before attending.
