Souter, back on the bench
David Souter hung up his judge’s robes more than three years ago, after nearly two decades on the nation’s highest court. But on Thursday night, the retired Supreme Court justice seemed as sharp as ever as he directed his easygoing, often droll, always astute wit at the Harvard Law School (HLS) students arguing before his bench. Souter — joined by Reena Raggi of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 2nd Circuit and Mark Wolf of the U.S. District Court for Massachusetts — presided over the final round of the 102nd Ames Moot Court Competition. The evening’s oral arguments, held in a packed Ames Courtroom in Austin Hall, marked the culmination of more than a year of research, brief writing, endless practice sessions, and two qualifying rounds that winnowed 38 teams to two. At the completion of the Ames Moot Court Competition, Emma Freeman was named best oralist. Even among the mock courtrooms...