Chief Justice William Rehnquist dies

[Mitchell]

I just heard on the news that United States Supreme Court Chief Justice William Rehnquist has died from cancer at age 80. Mr Rehnquist died Saturday evening. It will now be interesting to see the direction that George W Bush proceeds in regard to appointment of a new justice to succeed Rehnquist. I have heard speculation on the news tonight that while Bush may well elevate associate justice Clarance Thomas, or associate justice Antoin Scala to the position of Chief Justice to succeed Rehnquist, it is also possible that the Rhenquist's replacement could indeed become Chief Justice directly upon his or her confirmation to the court.
It will be very interesting to see which direction Mr Bush proceeds in concerning his nominee to the Court. If anyone has the full news story regarding Rhenquist's death, and could post it, it would be appreciated, but I wanted to post the news of Mr Rehnquist's passing that I have just leaned of.

Mitch

[Robace252]

Here you go Mitchell and everyone else...I didnt know about this until I read this post and went to Yahoo to look it up and there it was on the title page.

Chief Justice Rehnquist Dies at His Home
AP - 53 minutes ago
WASHINGTON - Chief Justice William H. Rehnquist died Saturday evening of cancer, ending a remarkable 33-year tenure on the Supreme Court and creating a rare second vacancy on the nation's highest court. Rehnquist, 80, was surrounded by his three children when he died at his home in suburban Arlington. "The Chief Justice battled thyroid cancer since being diagnosed last October and continued to perform his duties on the court until a precipitous decline in his health the last couple of days," said court spokeswoman Kathy Arberg.

I for one am saddend in 2 ways. 1 he was a good justice, I know his point of view no one agreed with. And 2, this country is officaly in a "world of shit" as Private Pyle said on Full Metal Jacket.
With the Katrina Disaster, trying to appoint 1 Justice and now they have to try to get 2 justices? Bush? No one is going to allow Bush to have 2 canidates maybe not 1. This is going to be the ugliest Congressional Session in history. The evil spitefulness of both sides, the fighting, the ridiculious notions that both sides (right and left) and their crappy POS speical interest groups will now spend their money on something like this instead of helping the country through Katrina. I for one just want to bury my head in the sand and wait...wait....and wait.....but I know there's something else big comming, bad things always happen in three's.
Im still here in Mississippi and am going to tell people tommrrow about this.
WOW! Im just stunned on how this country has been changed in 1 week.
Also Im afraidn that people are going to force Bush to make a decision on a new justice, when he has bigger problems...Katrina. If he doesnt make a decision Liberals will scream that he doesnt care about the courts and is dragging his heels on purpose. But if he does decide on someone, there will be those that will lash out at him for not paying attention to Katrina.
This is a no win situation for a President who might not be liked and is hated by many..but I just feel sorry for him. No other american president in recent history has had to deal with a faulty election in 2000, 9/11, Iraq War, and Katrina. Now 2 justices, what could be next????
I shudder at the thought and now will close my eyes and hope for the best.

[milagros317]

Here's the brief AP story:


WASHINGTON (AP) - Chief Justice William Rehnquist has died at
his home in Arlington, Virginia, outside Washington.

A court spokeswoman says Rehnquist, who was 80, was surrounded by his three children.

In a statement, the spokeswoman says "the Chief Justice battled
thyroid cancer since being diagnosed last October and continued to perform his duties on the court until a precipitous decline in his health the last couple of days."

Rehnquist was appointed to the Supreme Court in 1971 by
President Nixon. He was elevated to chief justice by President
Reagan in 1986.

His death ends a remarkable 33-year Supreme Court career. During it, Rehnquist oversaw the court's conservative shift, presided over
the impeachment trial of President Clinton and helped decide the presidential election that put President Bush into office.

The death gives Bush his second court opening within four
months.

A view from the left (SF Chronicle):

http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?file=/c/a/2005/09/04/MNG16EIE101.DTL

A view from the right (National Review):

http://www.nationalreview.com/comment/long200509040208.asp

[mpeyton]

Here you go Mitchell and everyone else...I didnt know about this until I read this post and went to Yahoo to look it up and there it was on the title page.

Chief Justice Rehnquist Dies at His Home
AP - 53 minutes ago
WASHINGTON - Chief Justice William H. Rehnquist died Saturday evening of cancer, ending a remarkable 33-year tenure on the Supreme Court and creating a rare second vacancy on the nation's highest court. Rehnquist, 80, was surrounded by his three children when he died at his home in suburban Arlington. "The Chief Justice battled thyroid cancer since being diagnosed last October and continued to perform his duties on the court until a precipitous decline in his health the last couple of days," said court spokeswoman Kathy Arberg.

I for one am saddend in 2 ways. 1 he was a good justice, I know his point of view no one agreed with. And 2, this country is officaly in a "world of shit" as Private Pyle said on Full Metal Jacket.
With the Katrina Disaster, trying to appoint 1 Justice and now they have to try to get 2 justices? Bush? No one is going to allow Bush to have 2 canidates maybe not 1. This is going to be the ugliest Congressional Session in history. The evil spitefulness of both sides, the fighting, the ridiculious notions that both sides (right and left) and their crappy POS speical interest groups will now spend their money on something like this instead of helping the country through Katrina. I for one just want to bury my head in the sand and wait...wait....and wait.....but I know there's something else big comming, bad things always happen in three's.
Im still here in Mississippi and am going to tell people tommrrow about this.
WOW! Im just stunned on how this country has been changed in 1 week.
Also Im afraidn that people are going to force Bush to make a decision on a new justice, when he has bigger problems...Katrina. If he doesnt make a decision Liberals will scream that he doesnt care about the courts and is dragging his heels on purpose. But if he does decide on someone, there will be those that will lash out at him for not paying attention to Katrina.
This is a no win situation for a President who might not be liked and is hated by many..but I just feel sorry for him. No other american president in recent history has had to deal with a faulty election in 2000, 9/11, Iraq War, and Katrina. Now 2 justices, what could be next????
I shudder at the thought and now will close my eyes and hope for the best.
I don't know anything about this guy, but whoever Bush nominates the "left" are going to have them for lunch. I see another fulibuster(did I spell that right) coming up. With any luck the next justices will have genuine interest in helping the American people instead of just indulging themselves like we've seen for God knows how long!

[MrMacphisto]

Um... Rehnquist was an ok justice, but the end of his career could result in very positive or negative repercussions.

One of the more positive possibilities would involve appointing Justice O'Connor as Chief Justice, but she's already said that she plans on resigning. I don't think any of the other current Justices would make good Chiefs. Thomas and Scalia are too conservative, and the rest of the court (except for O'Connor) voted in favor of corporate rights over individual rights with the Kelo vs. New London case.

With the exception of O'Connor, we have a very rotten Supreme Court.

[New2u]

"...With the exception of O'Connor, we have a very rotten Supreme Court.

Mac, I really agree on that one.

[ctd]

Bush has the votes to put through whom :firedevil ever he wants! Bork! Bork! Bork!... I don't think he really cares what CNN thinks.

[milagros317]

One of the more positive possibilities would involve appointing Justice O'Connor as Chief Justice, but she's already said that she plans on resigning.

To correct a matter of fact, Justice O'Connor did not say that she plans to resign. She already sent a letter of resignation to the President, on July 1, 2005. Her resignation is effective upon the confirmation of her successor. I will leave it to the lawyers to decide what would happen if she announced that she was withdrawing her letter of resignation.


Supreme Court Justice O'Connor Resigns

July 1, 2005; 7:11 PM

Sandra Day O'Connor, the first woman appointed to the U.S. Supreme Court and a decisive swing vote for a quarter-century on major legal issues, announced her resignation today effective upon the confirmation of her successor.

In a brief letter to President Bush, O'Connor, 75, gave no reason for her decision to leave the court after 24 years as an associate justice, a tenure in which she played a crucial role in decisions on such major issues as abortion and the death penalty. But a Supreme Court spokeswoman later said O'Connor was retiring in part because she "needs to spend time now with her husband," who is reportedly in poor health.


Full story on July 1 is here: http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2005/07/01/AR2005070100653.html

[MrMacphisto]

My mistake... and that really blows... damn it...