[beyond the sea]

prayers for his family ...........

[Joe Boucher]

Congress is out on recess, recess appointment for Judge Bork to fill the Chief Justices seat.
Just to freak out the libs.

[DouglasKC]

This has got to be killing the libs. Do they keep trying to push the "Bush did it" lie in New Orleans or do they crank up the "Whoever Bush appoints is the devil" argument?

[ChadGore]

Thoughts and Prayers to an amazing American.

[alwaysconservative]

Prayers for a good man and his family.

[DefiantZERO]

From our illustrious friends at DU:

----

5. Bet he died days ago and they are just announcing it now to try and take the heat off bush. One man has died, well guess what, thousands have died and more are still dying.

----

89. Yep, Rove is very clever when it comes to diverting the media......away from Bush's f**k ups. Now we're supposed to feel sorry for the ol' fart.

----

And get this, fellow FReepers:

26. 10K died in NO
45. More than that will die if Roe v Wade is overturned.

Comparing Katrina to abortion rights!! WTF??

[OXENinFLA]

Prayers.....

---

I didn't even hear about this in the news, I read about it on PMSNBC's website when they flashed it on their TV news about the hurricane.

[nicmarlo]

ping

[planekT]

God bless this honorable man.

[afnamvet]

Prayers for the family of Chief Justice Rehnquist.

[ElCapusto]

Prayers for a decent Chief Justice.

Hoping our president appoints Thomas or Scalia as Chief Justice and Roberts gets his seat on the bench without too much gnashing of teeth and rending of garments on the part of the godless socialist democRATs.

[tame]

Hoping a lefty would have gone before Rehnquist.

[Terriergal]

Oh, my.

[Terriergal]

Oh, my.

[buckeyesrule]

I was amazed that he made it to re-inaugerate President Bush. You could tell it was very important to him to do that. God bless him. Rest in peace.

[blackhedd]

What's the President's next move?

Absolutely anything and anyone he proposes will be viciously attacked by the Dems, the Left, and the press. They will have their hands full making hay over Roberts, the Katrina aftermath, and now this.

The President should not attempt to "build consensus" at a time like this, because that's not what his opponents are looking for. Rather, they are looking to impeach him.

It's time to swing for the fences.

Go for it, Mr. President!!! Scalia for CJ! Janice Rogers Brown for SCOTUS!

[frogjerk]

I'm waiting for this lunacy next:

DIMS: "Since BUSH has screwed up New Orleans so badly, he owes the American people some of the caliber of a Ginsburg to be appointed to the Supreme Court."

[TBP]

I bet the libs are rejoicing.

Condolences to Rehnquist's family, his colleagues on the Court, and the country. They'll be in our prayers.

President Bush better not blow this opportunity. We need a constitutionalist, not Gonzales or one of those "pragmatists."

[AlGone2001]

Here is a little info I collected on Chief Justices. I think I'm accurate, but will take suggestions and make modifications, if necessary. Let me know if you have anything you'd like to add.

 

CHIEF JUSTICES OF THE US SUPREME COURT

NAME	STATE	APPOINTED BY PRESIDENT	DATE OF JUDICIAL OATH AS CHIEF	DATE SERVICE TERMINATED	SERVICE AS ASSOCIATE
John Jay	New York	George Washington	10-19-1789	6-29-1795	NA
John Rutledge	South Carolina	George Washington	8-12-1795	10-15-1795	2-15-1790 to 3-5-1791
Oliver Ellsworth	Connecticut	George Washington	3-8-1796	10-15-1800	NA
John Marshall	Virginia	John Adams	2-4-1801	7-6-1835	NA
Robert Brook Taney	Maryland	Andrew Jackson	3-28-1836	10-12-1864	NA
Salmon Portland Chase	Ohio	Abraham Lincoln	10-15-1864	5-7-1873	NA
Morrison Remick Waite	Ohio	Ulysses S. Grant	3-4-1874	3-23-1888	NA
Melville Weston Fuller	Illinois	Grover Cleveland	10-8-1888	7-4-1910	NA
Edward Douglass White	Louisiana	William Taft	12-19-1910	5-19-1921	3-12-1894 to 12-18-1910
William Howard Taft	Connecticut	Warren Harding	7-11-1921	2-3-1930	NA
Charles Evans Hughes	New York	Herbert Hoover	2-24-1930	6-30-1941	10-10-1910 to 6-10-1916
Harlan Fiske Stone	New York	Franklin D. Roosevelt	7-3-1941	4-22-1946	3-2-1925 to 7-2-1941
Fred Moore Vinson	Kentucky	Harry Truman	9-24-1946	9-8-1953	NA
Earl Warren	California	Dwight D. Eisenhower	10-5-1953	6-23-1969	NA
Earl Warren Burger	Virginia	Richard Nixon	6-23-1969	9-26-1986	NA
William Rehnquist	Virginia	Ronald Reagan	9-26-1986	9-3-2005	1-7-1972 to 9-26-1986
?	?	George W. Bush

---

INTERESTING POINTS

1. To date, there have been 16 Chief Justices of the US Supreme Court.
2. Of the 16 Chief Justices, 11 were nominated directly to the position from outside the court.
3. Of the 16 Chief Justices, 5 had previously been associate justices on the bench.
4. John Rutledge had been an associate and left the court with just over 1 year of service, only to return as the 2nd Chief Justice.
5. Charles Evans Hughes had served almost six years on the bench as an associate (1910-16), only to leave the bench and return about 14 years later as Chief Justice.
6. Chief Justices Edward Douglass White, Harlan Fiske Stone, & William Rehnquist are the only 3 chiefs to ever be elevated directly from acting Associate Justice to the position of Chief Justice.
7. Only 3 of the last 8 Chief Justices were appointed while actively serving as an Associate Justice.
8. President George Washington is the only president to appoint more than one Chief Justice, and he appointed 3.
9. It was not until Salmon P. Chase took the oath as Chief Justice that a chief was placed in his role within three days of the vacancy.  He was the 6th Chief Justice.
10. It was not until Charles Evans Hughes was installed as Chief Justice that chief was placed in his role within three days of the vacancy.  He was the 11th Chief Justice, who too the oath more than 55 years after Chief Justice Hughes.
11. The last two Chief Justices each took the oath as Chief Justice on the a vacancy was made in the Chief Justices slot.
12. The last three openings as Chief Justice were filled in less than 30 days.
13. Only John Marshall served more than 30 years as Chief Justice.  He serve a little over 34 years.  His period of serve spanned a period of six US Presidents.
14. Robert Brook Taney and Melville Weston Fuller are the only other men to serve over 20 years as Chief Justice.  Taney served more than 28 years and Fuller served over 21 years. 
15. Chief Justice Taney's period of service spanned a period of 10 US Presidents.
16. John Rutledge served two times on the bench:  once as an associate and once as the Chief Justice.  His total time on the court was about 15 months.
17. Chief Justice Taft is the only Chief Justice to have served previously as President of the United States.  He served one term as president (1909-13) and took his place on the bench as Chief Justice just 8 years after his presidency ended.  He replaced Chief Justice Edward Douglass White, who he nominated to the same position.

[GreenHornet]

My prayers are with the family of Chief Justice William Rehnquist in their time of loss. I pray also for our nation and our President as a successor is chosen.