A former member of the United States Supreme Court passed away Thursday night, according to a statement issued by the court.

David Souter, who was appointed by former President George H.W. Bush and served on the bench for 20 years before retiring in 2009, died “peacefully” at his home in New Hampshire, the court announced. He was 85.

During his two decades on the Court, Souter often surprised legal experts and disappointed conservatives who had hoped his appointment would shift the Court rightward on major social issues like abortion and immigration. Instead, the New Hampshire native became aligned with the Court’s most liberal justices, including Ruth Bader Ginsburg, Stephen Breyer, and John Paul Stevens.