U.S. Supreme Court Justice David Souter's retirement, scheduled for July 2009, was officially announced by President Barack Obama on the afternoon of May 1, 2009.NPR: Supreme Court Justice Souter To Retire (April 30, 2009) The 69-year-old Justice's motivation for leaving reportedly involved his desire to spend more time at his residence in New Hampshire, coupled with his distaste for Washington D.C..NPR: Supreme Court Justice Souter To Retire (April 30, 2009)

There had been prior speculation that Souter would retire in 2009, despite the seemingly more pressing situation of his 76-year-old colleague Ruth Bader Ginsburg, who is fighting cancer.NPR: Supreme Court Justice Souter To Retire (April 30, 2009)

Within minutes of the first report of Souter's retirement, speculation about a possible replacement cropped up around the web. Legal experts have predicted Obama's inclination would be to nominate a woman. AJC: Some Americans Would Argue... (November 9, 2008)Although in 2008, after then-candidate Barack Obama secured the Democratic nomination, Hillary Clinton had been mentioned as a possible Supreme Court Justice, her subsequent confirmation as Secretary of State may preclude this option. According to an article on TheAtlantic.com, however, Clinton is still a possibility, with others being former the dean of the Harvard Law School Elena Kagan and appelate judge Diane Wood.The Atlantic: Souter Said To Be Retiring; Who Would Replace Him? (April 30, 2009)

Earlier on the day of Souter's resignation, speculation of his retirement was stoked by a report that he alone among the nine Justices had not yet hired law clerks for the court's next term, which starts in October, 2009. However, reports that Souter had considered quitting the bench go back at least to the 2007 book The Nine by Jeffrey Toobin, which claims that Souter was "shattered" by the court's 2000 decision in Bush v. Gore, and had considered leaving at the time.ConfirmThem: Book: Souter Considered Retirement After Bush v. Gore (September 4, 2009)