Number: RL33066
Title: Selected Opinions of Chief Justice Rehnquist
Authors: Kenneth R. Thomas and Todd B. Tatelman, American Law Division 
Abstract: William H. Justice Rehnquist, appointed to the Supreme Court by President Richard M. Nixon, joined the United States Supreme Court as an associate Justice in 1972. In 1986, President Ronald Reagan nominated him to replace Chief Justice Warren Burger, a position to which he was confirmed by the Senate by a vote of 65 to 33. When Chief Justice Rehnquist died on September 3, 2005, he had served 33 years on the Court. William H. Rehnquist had a significant influence over a number of issues during his years on the Supreme Court. While he is most often associated with the Court's renewed interest in federalism, he also made significant contributions in a number of other areas, including separation of powers, church-state, criminal law, equal protection and due process. While he was often a lone dissenter early in his career, his influence grew as the composition of the Court changed, and as he persuaded other Justices of the merits of his position, many of his views gained ascendancy.
Pages: 15
Date: September 7, 2005