William Rehnquist

From Wikinfo

Chief Justice William H. Rehnquist

William Hubbs Rehnquist (born October 1, 1924) is an American jurist. He currently is Chief Justice of the Supreme Court of the United States.

Rehnquist was born in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. After finishing high school, he served in the U.S. Army Air Force during World War II from 1943 to 1946, going to North Africa as a weather observer.

After the war ended, he attended Stanford University with assistance under the provisons of the G.I. Bill. In 1948, Rehnquist received a B.A. and an M.A. in political science. In 1950, Rehnquist went to Harvard University to obtain a M.A. in government. He returned later to law school at Stanford University, where he graduated first in the class (ahead of Sandra Day O'Connor, who came in third and now also serves on the court).

Rehnquist went to Washington, D.C. to serve as a law clerk for Justice Robert H. Jackson during the 1951 and 1952 terms. There, he infamously wrote a brief arguing against school desegregation while the court was considering the Brown v. Board of Education case.

Rehnquist later moved to Phoenix, Arizona, where he was in private practice from 1953-1969. During these years, he was also active in the Republican party.

When President Richard Nixon was elected in 1968, Rehnquist returned to work in Washington. He served as Assistant Attorney General of the Office of Legal Counsel, from 1969 to 1971. In this role, he served as the chief lawyer to the Attorney General. President Nixon nominated him to replace John Marshall Harlan II on the Supreme Court, and he took his seat as an Associate Justice on January 7, 1972, after being confirmed by the Senate by a 68-26 vote. There were two vacancies on the court at the time; Nixon nominated Lewis Franklin Powell, Jr. to fill the other.

On the Burger Court, Rehnquist promptly established himself as the most conservative of Nixon's appointees, voting to rule against the expansion of school desegregation plans and the establishment of abortion rights, and in favor of school prayer, capital punishment and states' rights.

When Chief Justice Warren Burger stepped down in 1986, President Reagan nominated Rehnquist to fill the position. After confirmation by the Senate, he assumed that office on September 26, 1986.

Since becoming Chief Justice, Rehnquist has become a leader in the court's move towards greater federalism, although he has generally not been seen as being as conservative as originalists Antonin Scalia and Clarence Thomas. He is known as an excellent and efficient administrator of the Court.

Some notable cases in which Rehnquist wrote an opinion:

Except where noted, Rehnquist wrote for the majority on the court.

He married Natalie Cornell in 1953. She died on October 17, 1991 after suffering from ovarian cancer. They had three children: James, Janet, and Nancy.