(AP) -- WASHINGTON (AP) -- Justice David Souter has told the White House that he will retire from the Supreme Court at the end of the court's term in June.
That's what a source is telling The Associated Press. Speculation that the 69-year-old justice will be stepping down has been fueled by his failure to appoint law clerks for the fall term. National Public Radio reported that Souter will remain on the bench until a successor is confirmed. The Supreme Court declined to comment on the report.
Souter's retirement would give President Barack Obama his first pick for the high court. Court watchers expect him to choose a woman to join Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg, currently the only woman on the Supreme Court.
Souter has never made any secret of his dislike for Washington, once telling acquaintances he had "the world's best job in the world's worst city." When the court finishes its work for the summer, he quickly departs for his beloved New Hampshire.
He has been on the court since 1990, when he was an obscure federal appeals court judge selected by President George H.W. Bush.
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