President Bush has some more on his plate this evening! Chief Justice Rehnquist has passed away tonight, giving Bush another appointment to the Supreme Court, immediately on the heels of what looks like it might be a brutal series of hearings on John Roberts' appointment. Conservatives such as myself mourn the passing of Justice Rehnquist and would like to reflect for just one moment about his time on the Bench.
Rehnquist was appointed by President Nixon in 1972 and became Chief Justice in 1985 when President Reagan filled the opening left by Chief Justice Burger's retirement.
Rhenquist and 'his' court will most likely be remembed as taking a broader view of states' rights, with its opinion in US v. Lopez; and as broadening the Court's view of the Establishment Clause in cases such as Zelman v. Simmons-Harris. He was a conservative justice, concerned with originalist interpretation of the Constitution, and I hope that President Bush is able to appoint someone similar to replace him.
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