Rehnquist, William Hubbs

Rehnquist, William Hubbs (b. 1 Oct. 1924). US Supreme Court Chief Justice 1986–  Born in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, he became a lawyer after distinguishing himself in the air force during World War II. He holds BA, MA, and LLB degrees from Stanford and a Harvard MA. He became a clerk to the Supreme Court in 1952, a Republican politician, and an assistant Attorney-General of the United States under the Nixon administration in 1969. He was confirmed as a Supreme Court Justice in 1971. He dissented from the judgment in Roe v. Wade, and became associated with efforts to remove abortion rights from the federal sphere to the discretion of the states. Appalled by judicial activism, he advocated a classical, minimalist role for the court after the tumult of the 1960s. In 1986, he was appointed by Ronald Reagan to replace Warren Burger as Chief Justice. He is a distinguished author of legal histories and commentaries. In this position, he presided over the Court's shift to the right, culminating in the controversial Supreme Court intervention to decide the 2000 presidential elections.