Former Supreme Court Justice David Souter dead at 85

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Former Supreme Court Justice David Souter died Thursday at his home in New Hampshire at the age of 85, the Court announced Friday.

“Justice Souter was appointed to the Court by President George H.W. Bush in 1990, and retired in 2009, after serving more than 19 years on the Court,” it said in a statement.

“Justice David Souter served our Court with great distinction for nearly twenty years. He brought uncommon wisdom and kindness to a lifetime of public service. After retiring to his beloved New Hampshire in 2009, he continued to render significant service to our branch by sitting regularly on the Court of Appeals for the First Circuit for more than a decade. He will be greatly missed,” Chief Justice John Roberts said.

Souter was described by the Associated Press as a “reliably liberal vote on abortion, church-state relations, freedom of expression and the accessibility of federal courts.”

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Upon his retirement in 2009, President Barack Obama chose Sonia Sotomayor to take his seat.

The Supreme Court said Souter was born in Melrose, Mass., on Sept. 17, 1939.

He graduated from Harvard College and also received degrees from Oxford University and Harvard Law School.

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Souter then rose up the ranks to become Attorney General of New Hampshire in 1976.

“In 1978, he was named an Associate Justice of the Superior Court of New Hampshire, and was appointed to the Supreme Court of New Hampshire as an Associate Justice in 1983. He became a Judge of the United States Court of Appeals for the First Circuit on May 25, 1990,” the Supreme Court said Friday.

“In addition to hearing cases on the First Circuit, Justice Souter participated in civics education curriculum reform efforts in New Hampshire during his retirement,” it also said.

Fox News’ Bill Mears and Shannon Bream contributed to this report.