Political Quotes

“Mr. President, Thursday, September 3, was the 10th anniversary of the death of William Hubbs Rehnquist, the former Chief Justice of the United States Supreme Court. Rehnquist was an absolutely outstanding chief, one of the most influential Justices in the 225-year history of the Court. And the 10 years since his unfortunate passing have only served to increase the level of respect and admiration many have for him. This reverence is richly deserved, as Rehnquist spent over three decades--nearly two decades as Chief Justice--valiantly attempting to return the Court to this country's first principles, federalism being a primary one, in order to salvage our fundamental liberties. This is a goal the current Court would do well to remember and embrace. Of course, I am slightly biased in this matter. I clerked for Rehnquist, after all, and therefore spent an entire year learning at his side, while simultaneously embarrassing myself in his doubles tennis matches. But what is amazing about Rehnquist is how much esteem he was held in by those who often disagreed with him. Indeed, the respect he enjoyed from his colleagues was unparalleled. To give just one of many examples, Walter Dellinger, a former Solicitor General in the Clinton administration, wrote that ``Rehnquist was a great leader and effective administrator of the Supreme Court and the national judiciary. He ran a tight ship. . . .…”