William Rehnquist

chief justice of the United States from 1986 to 2005

William Hubbs Rehnquist (October 1, 1924 – September 3, 2005) was an American lawyer, jurist, and a political figure. He was the 16th Chief Justice of the United States from 1986 until his death in 2005. Before becoming Chief Justice, he was an Associate Justice on the Supreme Court of the United States from 1971 to 1986.

William Rehnquist
16th Chief Justice of the United States
In office
September 25, 1986[1] – September 3, 2005
Nominated byRonald Reagan
Preceded byWarren E. Burger
Succeeded byJohn Roberts
Associate Justice of the Supreme Court of the United States
In office
December 15, 1971 – September 26, 1986
Nominated byRichard Nixon
Preceded byJohn Harlan
Succeeded byAntonin Scalia
United States Assistant Attorney General for the Office of Legal Counsel
In office
January 29, 1969 – December 1971
PresidentRichard Nixon
Preceded byFrank Wozencraft
Succeeded byRalph Erickson
Personal details
Born
William Hubbs Rehnquist

(1924-10-01)October 1, 1924
Milwaukee, Wisconsin, U.S.
DiedSeptember 3, 2005(2005-09-03) (aged 80)
Arlington, Virginia, U.S.
Political partyRepublican
Spouse(s)
Nan Cornell
(m. 1953; died 1991)
Children3
EducationStanford University (BA, MA, LLB)
Harvard University (MA)
Signature
Military service
Allegiance United States
Branch/service United States Army
Years of service1943–1946
Battles/warsWorld War II

Considered a conservative, Rehnquist favored a federalism under which the states meaningfully exercised governmental power. Under this view of federalism, the Supreme Court of the United States, for the first time since the 1930s, struck down an Act of Congress as exceeding federal power under the Commerce Clause.

Rehnquist died on September 3, 2005. He was replaced by John Roberts as Chief Justice.

  • William H. Rehnquist (2004). The Centennial Crisis: The Disputed Election of 1876. Knopf Publishing Group. ISBN 0-375-41387-1.
  • William H. Rehnquist (1998). All the Laws but One : Civil Liberties in Wartime. William Morrow & Co. ISBN 0-688-05142-1.
  • William H. Rehnquist (1992). Grand Inquests: The Historic Impeachments of Justice Samuel Chase and President Andrew Johnson. Knopf Publishing Group. ISBN 0-679-44661-3.
  • William H. Rehnquist (1987). The Supreme Court: How It Was, How It Is. William Morrow & Co. ISBN 0-688-05714-4.

References

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  1. "Members of the Supreme Court of the United States". Supreme Court of the United States. Archived from the original on April 29, 2010. Retrieved April 11, 2010. The date a Member of the Court took his/her Judicial oath (the Judiciary Act provided "That the Justices of the Supreme Court, and the district judges, before they proceed to execute the duties of their respective offices, shall take the following oath . . . ") is here used as the date of the beginning of his/her service, for until that oath is taken he/she is not vested with the prerogatives of the office. {{cite journal}}: Cite journal requires |journal= (help)

Other websites

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  Media related to William Rehnquist at Wikimedia Commons
  Quotations related to William Rehnquist at Wikiquote