WASHINGTON (AP) - President Barack Obama is getting an early
chance to make a pick for the Supreme Court.
A source familiar with his plans tells The Associated Press
Justice David Souter has informed the White House he will retire in
June at the end of the current court term.
It's not a huge surprise. Souter's made no secret of his dislike
for life in Washington and his desire to return to New Hampshire.
There's been much speculation since he failed to name clerks for
the fall term.
Souter is 69. He was appointed by President George H.W. Bush and
joined the court in 1990.
Obama's choice is unlikely to shift the court's ideological
balance -- Souter's part of its liberal wing. But Obama could name
a second woman to join Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg.