Justice O'Connor's Salute to Souter

The Supreme Court issued a statement this morning from retired Justice Sandra Day O'Connor offering her comments about Justice David Souter's impending retirement.

"Justice Souter is a superb human being," O'Connor is quoted as saying. "He is brilliant, witty, wise, and wonderful.  He will be greatly missed."

With common backgrounds in state government, O'Connor and Souter have been close over the years. O'Connor has recruited Souter to give a speech -- a rarity for Souter -- on May 20 at Georgetown University Law Center. The subject of the conference is "Fair and Independent Courts in a New Era."

Until now, O'Connor has been the Court's only living retired member since she left the Court in January 2006. O'Connor has remained very busy, and has kept chambers inside the Supreme Court. Offices for retired justices are available at the nearby Thurgood Marshall judiciary building, but some justices who have retired have opted to stay at the Supreme Court, to be closer to the action and to longtime colleagues.  Whether Souter will keep any office in Washington -- a city he famously dislikes -- is unclear. During the summer, Souter has used office space in the federal courthouse in Concord, N.H., not far from his Weare home.