Bench Memos contributor Robert Alt’s fine op-ed in the New York Post gives examples of “numerous important cases” on “lawsuit abuse and criminal law” in which Justice Souter “was a swing vote—sometimes the decisive fifth vote” and in which his replacement may well have the immediate effect of moving the Court further left. More generally, American business interests are likely to fare less well with Souter’s replacement, as the U.S. Chamber of Commerce’s statement of thanks to Souter reflects.