Tuesday, May 05, 2009  Justice Souter and the Voting Rights Act
Heather K. Gerken  Here is an essay cross-posted at the American
Prospect.  One of the reasons that the Supreme Court will miss
David Souter is that he possesses a gift that we seek but rarely
find in a judge -- the ability to step outside the bounds of his
experience. Nowhere is this more evident than in Justice
Souter's astute take on the fraught relationship between race
and politics, a topic that has dominated the Supreme Court's
docket for much of his tenure.  Souter is perhaps the least
politically connected person on the Court, and his home state of
New Hampshire is a racially homogenous state that hasn't had
much of a record either way with the Voting Rights Act. Despite
his lack of experience, Souter has carved out a position on the
Voting Rights Act that is both more nuanced and more pragmatic
than his brethren's. If you want to know what makes Souter a
great judge, take a look at his voting-rights opinions.  Because
Souter's voting-ri