The AP is reporting that Supreme Court Justice David Souter will be announcing his retirement. Although he was appointed by the first Bush administration he is considered one of the courts liberal votes.

While his leaving might not lead to a dramatic ideologic shift on the court, never underestimate the effect new blood has on the court. Picking Supreme Court justices is the single most important thing a president does.

The next few months will be interesting.

BTW, that title is a quote attributed to Souter, and I think he’s right.