Posted on 09/03/2005 8:17:02 PM PDT by zahal724
Chief Justice William H. Rehnquist died Saturday evening at his home in suburban Virginia, said Supreme Court spokeswoman Kathy Arberg.
A statement from the spokeswoman said he was surrounded by his three children when he died in Arlington.
"The Chief Justice battled thyroid cancer since being diagnosed last October and continued to perform his dues on the court until a precipitous decline in his health the last couple of days," she said.
Rehnquist was appointed to the Supreme Court as an associate justice in 1971 by President Nixon and took his seat on Jan. 7, 1982. He was elevated to chief justice by President Reagan in 1986.
I suppose I would do the same, especially if people were thinking I should "retire".
Potential DU Rant: "Karl Rove poisoned Rehnquist to divert attention from Bush's miserable failure with Hurricane Katrina."
I'm happy he died at his home. Its got to be easier that way.
Indeed. God rest his great, wise American soul. We owe him a debt of gratitude. Till the end, he tried to do what was right for the United States, voting against Kelo.
I now find myself desperate about what's going to happen. Ann Coulter is not a Roberts fan. I hope that he's conservative, but more so, I hope that the next one that President Bush appoints is infinitely more conservative. I don't remember who it was, but David Brooks had expressed a wish in his column about what the nominee should be and then he said 'like xyz' - can't remember who it was.
I'm comforted tonight by the thought that the Rehnquists know what a great American their father was. Certainly, we at Free Republic won't soon forget.
RIP Judge Rehnquist.
Whats the connection to Howard Dean?
When it rains, it pours...
I am so sorry to hear of the news. When is the last time a justice died in office? It must be decades.
Now we are going to have another huge battle. Beyond Roberts, the successor to Rehnquist will have a tough time getting through.
With Katrina, the Roberts hearings, and now this news, poor Cindy Sheehan will be all but forgotten. ;)
Rehnquist fought until the end. Obviously one hell of a man.
I was startled to see this on Fox a few minutes ago. I didn't know he'd suddenly begun to fail. Rest in peace, Justice Rehnquist, and may God comfort your family.
May his soul, and the souls of all the Faithful departed, rest in peace.
A good man. Born Milwaukee, Wisconsin 1 Oct 1924.
He will be missed. Prayers up for the man and his family.
Thanks for your contribution. Go with God, Judge Rehnquist.
Forget Cindy Saehag,she is old news. Nixon did do something right.
It is shaping up to be a huge political season. WOW
How long before he starts whining about how evil the GOP is over this...
Wow! This is some good crack!
Is there any protocol that requires him to wait for Judge Roberts to be confirmed before he announces the next nominee? Certainly the Democrats will drag both proceedings out as long as possible. And if President Bush announces a nominee in less than two weeks, the Dems will squall about his lack of respect for Rehnquist.
Quotes from William Rehnquist.......
""On the case of Ethel and Julius Rosenberg: "[I am mystified at why] the highest court of the nation must behave like a bunch of old women every time they encounter the death penalty."
"It is truly surprising that the state must assign a greater value to a mother's decision to cut off a potential human life by abortion than to a father's decision to let it mature into a live child."
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