[Congressional Record Volume 171, Number 100 (Wednesday, June 11, 2025)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E558]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                    HONORING JUSTICE DAVID H. SOUTER

                                 ______
                                 

                           HON. MARCY KAPTUR

                                of ohio

                    in the house of representatives

                        Wednesday, June 11, 2025

  Ms. KAPTUR. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor the life and legacy of 
Justice David H. Souter, who passed away recently at the age of 85. 
Justice Souter served our Nation with integrity, humility, and an 
abiding respect for the Constitution. In retirement, he spoke rarely 
but when he did, his words resonated with profound clarity. In 2012, he 
warned that democracy cannot survive too much ignorance. He spoke not 
from partisanship, but from deep historical understanding. When 
citizens no longer grasp how their government works, the path opens to 
authoritarianism. He said, ``That is the way democracy dies . . . an 
ignorant people can never remain a free people.'' Those words echo even 
louder today, when civic trust is fraying, institutions are under 
siege, and loud voices offer simple answers to complex problems. This 
is not a moment for cynicism or despair. But neither is it a time for 
complacency. Justice Souter's warning was not about left or right. It 
was about whether we choose understanding over manipulation, engagement 
over apathy. Let us honor his legacy by committing ourselves anew to 
the serious work of fostering a democracy of, by, and for the people.

                          ____________________