Souter's Philly Farewell

by Mosheh Oinounou

Justice David Souter delivered a sentimental farewell address today in Philadelphia to a group of Third Circuit Court judges. Besides joking that he didn't "leak" news of his retirement to the press last week, the justice did not address his pending retirement or possible replacements. Instead, he took the long view of his tenure and focused his short remarks on the role of judges on the court.

In his first public speech since announcing his retirement from the Supreme Court, Justice David Souter argued Tuesday that while most justices and cases are quickly forgotten, they play an "imperative" role in maintaining a safe, stable democracy.

"For most of us, the very best work that we do sinks into the stream pretty quickly," Souter told more than 300 judges at the annual Third Circuit Judicial Conference in Philadelphia.

"And if we have got to look for a satisfaction that is more than momentary, God knows if we are gonna look for one that endures for a career or a lifetime, we have got to find that satisfaction not in the great moments but in being part of the great stream," he said.

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"Our value does not come from the moment we all aspire to have---the moment of the error-free trial, of the perfect decision and opinion...(we) thought should get into the case books by next year," Souter said, noting that there are only a handful of famous decisions remembered beyond 20 years like Marbury v. Madison (1803). "If we are a lucky we all have a few of those (decisions) in our careers. But if we are honest we have to realize our significance, even if we are lucky, is very slight," he said.

Here is my full writeup...