William Rehnquist Chief Justice

William Rehnquist Chief Justice

Introduction to William Rehnquist Chief Justice

In 1986 President Ronald Reagan appointed Rehnquist to replace the retiring Warren E. Burger as the Court’s chief justice, a decision that provoked further controversy over Rehnquist’s record. After his confirmation Rehnquist guided the Supreme Court in a more conservative direction.

In 1990 Rehnquist voted against the Supreme Court decision that struck down a federal law prohibiting the burning of the American flag. In 1996 he dissented in Romer v. Evans, in which the Court reversed a Colorado constitutional change aimed at curbing civil rights protections for homosexuals. Rehnquist sided with the majority in Bush v. Gore in 2000, the 5-4 Court decision that made George W. Bush the president of the United States. See also Disputed Presidential Election of 2000.

Rehnquist wrote a number of books about legal history. They include The Supreme Court, a history of the Court (1987; revised in 2001); All the Laws But One: Civil Liberties in Wartime (1998); and Centennial Crisis: The Disputed Election of 1876 (2004). Rehnquist died on September 3, 2005, almost a year after being diagnosed with thyroid cancer. He was buried in Arlington National Cemetery. ” (1)

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Guide to William Rehnquist Chief Justice


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