Hail to the Chief -- Chief Justice Rehnquist (1924-2005)

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE CONTACT: Connie Hair (202) 255-5125
September 3, 2005 Kay Daly (703) 822-9831

HAIL TO THE CHIEF (JUSTICE)
Chief Justice William Rehnquist 1924 - 2005

(Washington, DC) – The Coalition for a Fair Judiciary tonight acknowledged the passing of Chief Justice William Rehnquist, the 16th Chief Justice of the Supreme Court and lauded his years of public service from WWII veteran to Chief Justice.

“Our deepest condolences to the Rehnquist family for their loss. And for the nation, it
is the end of an era,” said Kay Daly, president of the Coalition for a Fair Judiciary. “Clearly, Justice Rehnquist will be remembered as a consensus builder, a tireless champion for a strong, independent judiciary and an advocate for federalism and the rule of law. This was a Chief who made the Court more efficient.”

The official Supreme Court biography describes Chief Justice Rehnquist as follows:

Chief Justice of the United States, William Rehnquist was born in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, October 1, 1924. He married Natalie Cornell, now deceased, and has three children – James, Janet and Nancy. From 1943 –46, he served in the U.S. Army Air Forces. He received a B.A., M.A. and LL.B. from Stanford University and an M.A. from Harvard University. He served as a law clerk for Justice Robert H. Jackson of the Supreme Court of the United States during the 1951 and 1952 terms, and practiced law in Phoenix, Arizona from 1953 to 1969. He served as Assistant Attorney General, Office of Legal Counsel from 1969 to 1971. President Nixon nominated him to the Supreme Court and he took his seat as an Associate Justice on January 7, 1972. Nominated as Chief Justice by President Reagan, he assumed that office on September 26, 1986.

“This was a Chief Justice who embraced the concepts of federalism, states rights and the very basic tenets of the Constitution,” said Daly. “The next Chief Justice should build on that foundation.”

Daly continued, “There is no doubt that one vacancy on the Court has made for a long, hot summer. Given the hysteria already exhibited by the Left over one vacancy, two vacancies may cause an antacid supply shortage. In two elections, the President made no secret that he intended to nominate constitutionalists, not judicial activists to the bench. His track record of judicial nominations to the federal bench shows that he is a man of his word.”

“The Left, apparently unaware of the outcome of the last two elections, will continue to attempt to dictate to the President the terms of the nomination and confirmation process. The Constitution, however, is clear on that matter which is quite inconvenient to those on the Left who are attempting to mask judicial activists as ‘consensus nominees’ and any other choice as ‘outside the mainstream.’ It is nonsense to believe that Senators Ted Kennedy, Chuck Schumer and Harry Reid, along with their friends at NOW, the ACLU and People for the American Way have the slightest notion what ‘the mainstream’ of America believes,” said Daly.

“ Quite frankly, it is immaterial whether the nominee is conservative, liberal, moderate, middle-of-the-road or the-chicken-that-crossed-the-road – those are political labels that are germane only to the legislative branch and Senator Charles Schumer’s ideological litmus test,” said Daly. “The relevant questions for these Supreme Court nominees are first, whether or not they are qualified for the position and second, will they apply the Constitution as it is written or will they legislate from the bench using a secret decoder ring to emanate in microscopic penumbras.”


The Coalition for a Fair Judiciary is a 501(C)4 organization (www.fairjudiciary.com) comprised of more than 100 grassroots organizations dedicated to supporting qualified, capable federal judicial nominees who are committed to fair and accurate interpretation of existing law. Judicial activism, characterized by rulings that create law rather than apply the law, has had a detrimental impact on American society and commerce. We seek to support federal judicial nominees who, in the words of Socrates, will “hear courteously, answer wisely, consider soberly and decide impartially.”
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