Former Supreme Court Justice David Souter, a Republican appointee who retired from the high court in 2009 after voting consistently with its liberal wing, has died, the Supreme Court announced on Friday.

The tenure of the late Justice David H. Souter on the Supreme Court helped shape the modern era of judicial confirmations.

No more Souters” was a right-wing battle cry for years. It led to the intense ideological vetting that gave us today’s conservative Court.