Justice for Justice Souter

Today’s NY Post runs a snippet from the National Review on the effort of Logan Darrow Clements to get the property of Judge David Souter in Weare, New Hampshire condemned so he can build the “Lost Liberty Hotel.” Souter advanced to the Court as a conservative but has often disappointed that sector with his siding with the more liberal members of the Supreme Court, something he did on the Kelo case on eminent domain.

Clements is obviously trying to turn the tables on Souter by getting Weare officials to condemn the judge’s property. According to the National review, however, this venture is not likely to succeed because, as one town officials said, “In New Hampshire, we really kind of consider our land a sacred thing, and no one can really fiddle with it.”

So Souter is protected because his own community holds property rights more sacred than the good judge does. In this case it would be appropriate for the town of Weare to make an exception so that Judge Souter could more fully understand the consequences of his turning his back on the values he was brought up with.