Justice David Souter plans to retire as soon as a replacement is confirmed for his seat on the U.S. Supreme Court.
Souter has long been rumored to have been weary of Washington life, and ready to retreat his New Hampshire home for retirement. Appointed by President George H. W. Bush, Souter has served on the Court for 19 years.
The retirement would give President Barack Obama his first Supreme Court nomination, and end wide speculation as to who will be the next vacancy on the high court. Others rumored to be retiring during Obama’s first term include Justices Ruth Bader Ginsburg, who is being treated for cancer, and John Paul Stevens, who turned 89 last week and is the Court’s second oldest justice in history.
This news also brings into sharper focus one of the implications of Sen. Arlen Specter’s decision to switch from the Republican Party to the Democratic Party, giving the Democrats a filibuster proof 60-vote majority in the Senate should Al Franken take the vacant seat for Minnesota.
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Meanwhile,
Tragic news: Mark I. Levy, counsel at the Washington office of Kilpatrick Stockton who argued more than a dozen Supreme Court cases, committed suicide in his office yesterday after being laid off from the firm. (Above The Law)
Debt collection lawyers fight back: Leaders of the largest association of debt collection lawyers said Thursday that they are being unfairly targeted by consumer lawyers. (Lawyers USA).
Lowering the red flag: The Federal Trade Commission has delayed enforcement of the “red flag” rule that requires certain businesses to implement identity-theft policies from May 1 to Aug. 1. (Lawyers USA).
Cramdown and out: The Democratic-controlled Senate on Thursday defeated a plan to spare hundreds of thousands of homeowners from foreclosure through bankruptcy. (AP)