Former Supreme Court Justice David Souter, the intellectual New Englander who slowed a conservative transformation of the high court, died May 8 at his home in New Hampshire. He was 85.

The high court announced his death but did not cite a cause.

Justice Souter, who supplied a key vote to uphold abortion rights in his early years on the court, was a little-known New Hampshire judge dubbed the “stealth candidate” when President George H.W. Bush nominated him in 1990 to replace justice William J. Brennan Jr., then the anchor of an eroding liberal majority.

Bush’s chief of staff assured Republicans that the pick would be a “home run for conservatives” who were on the brink of a significant remaking of the court. But the nominee proved to be anything but. His backers in Washington did not realize they were getting someone with a conservative temperament and a dedication to judicial restraint, rather than a conservative ideologue.

In nearly two decades on the court, Justice Souter was a reliable vote for the liberal side of the bench in cases involving affirmative action, gay rights, separation of church and state, and restriction of the death penalty. He saw his role as one of quiet resistance against excess and dramatic change. Years later, when vacancies arose on the court, regrets in conservative quarters about his nomination still inspired the refrain: “No more Souters.”

One of Justice Souter’s most significant opinions came two years into his tenure when he joined two other justices nominated by Republican presidents, Anthony M. Kennedy and Sandra Day O’Connor, in reaffirming a woman’s constitutional right to have an abortion, refusing to overturn Roe v. Wade. Souter argued that to do so would be a “surrender to political pressure,” emphasizing the importance of judicial independence.

A slight, soft-spoken man with frugal tastes, Justice Souter was never a creature of the court or its social scene. He shunned the spotlight and found his solace in quiet activities like reading and hiking in the White Mountains. He often referred to his role as the “world’s best job in the world’s worst city,” reflecting his discomfort with Washington’s social and political pressures.

He retired at age 69, primarily to return to his beloved New Hampshire, disillusioned by the politicization of the court, especially highlighted by the controversial Bush v. Gore decision in 2000. Despite his retirement, he continued serving part-time on the First Circuit Court of Appeals, contributing to legal discourse from his home state.

Justice Souter’s life was a testament to judicial independence and integrity, navigating a career marked by careful, thoughtful decisions rather than flamboyant pronouncements. His legacy endures in his steady commitment to justice and his cautious, respectful approach to the law.