Kammala wannan jumla: A ranar 1 ga Mayu, 2009, David Souter ya sanar da cewa zai yi ritaya daga Kotun Koli a ranar 29 ga Yuni, a farkon lokacin hutu na Kotun a lokacin rani na 2009. Ya yi aiki a matsayin mataimakin mai shari'a na shekaru 19. Wannan ita ce dama ta farko ga Shugaba Barack Obama, wanda
ya karbi mukamin a watan Janairun 2009, don cike gurbin Kotun Koli. Shugaban da masu ba shi shawara sun fara shirya wannan lamarin tun kafin a rantsar da shi a matsayin shugaban kasa, a lokacin sauyin mulki. Bayan da aka sanar da shirin ritaya na Souter, Sonia Sotomayor ta sami kulawa da wuri a matsayin jagora don maye gurbinsa. Sauran da ke kan jerin sunayen 'yan takara da suka fi dacewa sun hada da: Elena Kagan, Diane Wood da Jennifer Granholm.