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)
Resources
Notes and References
- Information about William Rehnquist Chief Justice in the Encarta Online Encyclopedia
Leave a Reply