Mike Enzi: “I was sad to hear of Chief Justice Rehnquist's passing, but I want to share my gratitude for his service. He exceeded…”

“I was sad to hear of Chief Justice Rehnquist's passing, but I want to share my gratitude for his service. He exceeded all but seven Justices by the length of his 33 years on the Supreme Court bench. President Nixon nominated him to be the 100th Supreme Court Justice in 1971. Fourteen years later, President Reagan nominated him to serve as Chief Justice. In his tenure as Chief Justice, he oversaw benchmark cases and events that helped to shape the Supreme Court and the country as we know it today. His efficient management of the Court and careful interpretation of the Constitution provide a good example for future Chief Justices. He was a very learned man, interested in a wide range of topics and pleasant to be around. In 1952, he graduated first in his law school class at Stanford. In addition to his law degree, he held master degrees in political science from Stanford and Harvard. He left law school and moved to Washington, DC, to clerk at the Supreme Court, a place where he would eventually spend over a third of his life. At times, our lives intersected. During the impeachment trial of President Clinton, I presided on the Senate floor just before Chief Justice Rehnquist took the presiding officer's chair--and then I took over each day as he left the chair. I also presided when he was escorted out of the chamber following the end of the trial.…”