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US Supreme Court justice retires after 19 years (2nd Roundup)
May 1, 2009, 21:20 GMT
Washington - US Supreme Court Justice David Souter has sent a letter to President Barack Obama stating he intends to retire after 19 years on the bench.
Obama announced at the White House Friday that he had received the letter from the 69-year-old Souter and will name his replacement before the Supreme Court begins hearing new cases in the fall.
The departure of the justice from New Hampshire would create an opening for Obama to make his first appointment to the Supreme Court since taking office in January.
Obama pledged to consult Democrats and Republicans before making a decision. 'I will seek somebody with a sharp and independent mind and a record of excellence and integrity,' he said.
Former president George HW Bush, a conservative Republican, named Souter to the court in 1990. But the justice went on to side with the left-liberal wing of the nine-member bench.
If confirmed by the US Senate, where Democrats hold a wide majority, a successor to Souter would likely not sharply change the ideological balance on the court but would install a younger, left- leaning judge with a lifetime appointment.
'He came to the bench with no particular ideology. He never sought to promote a political agenda,' Obama said.
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