Chief Justice Rehnquist died

[Sophia]

CNN is reporting breaking news:
Chief Justice William Rehnquist died Saturday at age 80.

[cakes]

crap!!

[Sophia]

from CNN.com

WASHINGTON (CNN) -- Chief Justice William Rehnquist, who helped shift the U.S. Supreme Court toward a more conservative ideology and strongly supported states' rights during his three decades on the bench, has died.

Rehnquist, who presided over the court for nearly 19 years, was 80.

The chief justice was diagnosed with thyroid cancer in October 2004, not long after the 2004-2005 court session began, and received outpatient radiation and chemotherapy treatments.

Rehnquist adjourned the court in late June amid speculation that he would resign before justices reconvened in October for the new term. He quashed that idea in July, hours after he left a hospital where he was treated for a fever.

"I want to put to rest the speculation and unfounded rumors of my imminent retirement," he said in a written statement. "I am not about to announce my retirement. I will continue to perform my duties as chief justice as long as my health permits." He returned to work the following day.

Rehnquist's announcement followed the surprise retirement of 75-year-old Justice Sandra Day O'Connor on July 1.

After Rehnquist began his cancer treatments, he worked at home until March 21, causing him to miss oral arguments in a number of cases. He attended President Bush's inauguration January 20 to administer the oath of office, but stayed on the platform for less than 15 minutes.

On his first day back at work in March with the other justices, Rehnquist showed no emotion, paid sharp attention to the argument presented in the first case and asked eight or nine technical questions. His voice was fairly strong; he had a tracheotomy tube in his throat to assist his breathing.

Rehnquist was appointed to the Supreme Court in 1972 by President Nixon and was elevated to chief justice in 1986 by President Reagan, replacing Warren Burger.

In that role, he led the closed-door conferences where justices discuss and vote on cases; assigned who wrote the majority rulings; managed the docket; controlled open court arguments; and supervised the 300 or so court employees, including clerks, secretaries, police and support staff.

Rehnquist, who belonged to a loose, 5-4 conservative majority, was the second-oldest man to preside over the nation's highest court.

Early in his tenure, he often was the lone dissenter, despite the presence of two other Republican appointees. He served on the bench under seven presidents.

David Yalof, a constitutional law professor at the University of Connecticut, credited Rehnquist with moving the court in a consistent, conservative direction.

"He was able over time to gather colleagues together cordially, manage tension, build a majority and turn them over to his point of view," Yalof said.

Rehnquist followed the legal philosophy of judicial restraint, which interprets the U.S. Constitution narrowly.

He believed the only rights protected by the Constitution are those specifically named, and that justices should consider the framers' original intent when making rulings.

Shortly after Nixon named him as an associate justice, Rehnquist and Justice Byron White were the only dissenters in the landmark Roe v. Wade case (1973), which established that a woman's right to an abortion was protected under a woman's right to privacy.

"To reach its result, the court necessarily has had to find within the scope of the 14th Amendment a right that was apparently completely unknown to the drafters of the amendment," Rehnquist wrote in his dissent.

The chief justice strongly supported states' rights, and usually took a state's side when it was sued over violating federal law on issues such as age discrimination or the Americans with Disabilities Act.

He supported the death penalty, homosexual rights and free speech.

In 2003, Rehnquist broke ranks with fellow conservatives by offering a rare rebuke against states' rights.

In the Hibbs case, a state worker was given the right to sue Nevada officials under the federal Family and Medical Leave Act for denying him time to care for his ailing wife. Rehnquist contended Congress had the right to address a record of sex discrimination against women and men in the workplace.

"He showed real diplomacy in moderating his viewpoint to satisfy the larger concerns of the court, to put his stamp on a ruling with wide impact," said Yalof.

In 1999, Rehnquist became the second chief justice in U.S. history to preside over a presidential impeachment -- that of President Bill Clinton, who was acquitted.

Rehnquist was a student of the court when he wasn't there.

He wrote books on its history and on the impeachments of Justice Samuel Chase and President Andrew Johnson.

Jay Jorgensen, a 1999 judicial clerk for Rehnquist, said Rehnquist was a gifted administrator.

"You have to give credit to his unbelievable success moving the justices to where he always believed they should go," said Thomas Goldstein, a leading Supreme Court litigator.

Having already sat on the court for 14 years, Rehnquist quickly matured in the role of chief justice. He cut the number of cases the court agreed to hear, streamlined conferences and sought clearer, strongly reasoned opinions.

Jay Jorgensen, a former clerk for the chief justice, said it was the little things Rehnquist did that built personal trust, loyalty and respect among justices who were often sharply divided ideologically.

"He set up a system during conferences where every justice, one by one, in order of seniority, is allowed to weigh in on a case," Jorgensen said. "There is no free-for-all debate, the chief justice does not allow bickering."

Still, legal scholars agree Rehnquist's legacy has some holes.

Despite the court chipping away slightly at the 1973 Roe v. Wade ruling, the right to an abortion remains the law of the land.

"On affirmative action and Miranda rights, among other things, Rehnquist hasn't gotten everything he wanted," said Tom Goldstein, a partner in a Washington, D.C.-based law firm that handles only Supreme Court cases.

"Across the board there are disappointments. The stakes remain high, there are still many 5-4 votes, but he has been successful keeping the individual battles from turning into larger wars."

William Hubbs Rehnquist was born in Shorewood, a suburb of Milwaukee, on October 1, 1924. His father was a paper salesman. Rehnquist married Natalie Cornell of San Diego, and they had a son and two daughters.

After serving in the Air Force in World War II, Rehnquist attended Stanford University, where he earned a bachelor's degree, followed by a master's in political science in 1948. He received another master's in government at Harvard in 1950, before returning to Stanford for a law degree. He graduated first in his class in 1952.

His friends described Rehnquist as warm and witty, with a love for poker.

Jorgensen recalled a small party Rehnquist hosted at his home with former clerks.

"We were playing charades, and he was very good at it -- funny, animated and enormously sharp," he said, "but also a stickler we play by the rules, and ensuring the fairness of the game. That sums up what kind of person he is, inside and outside the court."

[lawyergirl25]

Since yours has a story now, I'll post here. ;)

But I don't have much to say other than Aw, sh!t. :(

[Sophia]

Since yours has a story now, I'll post here. ;)

But I don't have much to say other than Aw, sh!t. :(

I know. As soon as I heard on CNN, I felt like throwing up. :(

[flygirl]

...I don't have much to say other than Aw, sh!t. :(
That pretty much sums it up :(

[cakes]

Yup I'll third that!! :(

[LittleFredPunkinHead]

I am going to pretend I didn't read this. Because I'm not ready to deal with it yet. ;)

[SingleWhiteFemale]

Just when you think things couldn't get worse, you get proved wrong. I'm more and more afraid of what kind of country my [future] kids will have to grow up in.

I personally like free speech and giving everyone equal rights... guess I shouldn't get too used to having them so I don't miss them when they're soon gone.

[littlemia]

I'm sorry for his family and I'm sorry for what may become of our country.

We were flipping channels earlier and saw on CSPAN Scalia's confirmation hearings. I made DH change the channel because I feared blood coming out all of my orifices. Please tell me Scalia's confimation hearings were there only out of coincidence and they're not trying to tell us anyting. :(

[gayle]

OMG, Bush gets to appoint another one. Jeezus.

[Sophia]

littlemia, this is only a guess, but perhaps the Scalia footage was being shown in reference to the upcoming confirmation hearings for Roberts, which are to begin Tuesday.

[emschwar]

Yup, Aw, shit sums it up pretty well. Actually, there was another word I thought of first, but it's censored here.

They were saying on NPR this morning that the Roberts hearings will probably be postponed because of this.

[kam]

Yup, Aw, shit sums it up pretty well. Actually, there was another word I thought of first, but it's censored here.

They were saying on NPR this morning that the Roberts hearings will probably be postponed because of this.

Me too on what I thought. Aw *bleep*.

Can we postpone the hearings by, like, 3 years? Pretty please?

[maggieb]

DH came home from work late last night while I was sleeping and woke me up to tell me. I woke up this morning and hoped that I was dreaming a terrible nightmare, but I wasn't.

Just when you thought things couldn't possibly get any worse. Is it 2008 yet?? Please?!?

[Sophia]

I don't think the Roberts confirmation hearings will be delayed. In Bush's statement this morning, he said things needed to move quickly in filling the two vacancies. And he didn't take any questions, as usual.

[littlemia]

littlemia, this is only a guess, but perhaps the Scalia footage was being shown in reference to the upcoming confirmation hearings for Roberts, which are to begin Tuesday.

I hope so. I don't know when they started showing them; they could have been showing them all week but all I could think last night was about the possibility (likelihood?) of Scalia as next Chief Justice.

[Belm]

I am going to pretend I didn't read this. Because I'm not ready to deal with it yet. ;)

Ditto.

[Sophia]

The idea of Scalia as Cheif Justice really scares me, too.

[jbenny75]

:( Aw, sh*t!!!

[lawyerlee]

Talk about making a bad migraine worse . . . Cliff told me last night when I was wrenched in pain in the dark. :( :( :(


Rehnquist death puts pressure on Bush (http://www.boston.com/news/nation/articles/2005/09/05/rehnquist_death_puts_pressure_on_bush/?page=full)
To be urged to pick female, Hispanic
Boston Globe
By Charlie Savage, Globe Staff | September 5, 2005


Handed a second Supreme Court opening by the death of William Rehnquist, President Bush will face increased pressure to nominate a woman or a Hispanic to the bench -- though not necessarily as the chief justice, longtime Supreme Court observers said yesterday.

The Supreme Court has never had a Hispanic member, and with the retirement of Justice Sandra Day O'Connor there is just one woman among nine justices.

''I think it is overwhelmingly believed that [Roberts] was the last white male for a while," Manuel Miranda, a former judicial nominations adviser to the Senate majority leader, said yesterday. ''He's in a position that he has to name a woman or a Hispanic."

Some observers, including Senator Christopher Dodd, Democrat of Connecticut, yesterday suggested O'Connor might return to the court for an interim period. But many agreed that, at 75 and having announced her retirement, O'Connor is unlikely to be lured back for a longer stint as chief justice.

Instead, several members of the conservative Washington legal community suggested that Bush may choose to elevate a current justice to be chief, or to shift his nominee, John G. Roberts Jr., to replace O'Connor to fill Rehnquist's role as chief justice instead.

Roberts has a conciliatory personality, which would be helpful in the chief's role of building court majorities and dividing the workload among justices. He has also been well received as the nominee to replace O'Connor and appears on his way to an easy confirmation.

Conservatives have long speculated that Bush might try to elevate Justices Antonin Scalia or Clarence Thomas to chief justice. Scalia and Thomas are the two most conservative members of the court, and Bush cited them as his two favorite justices while running for president.

Elevating Thomas, who has administrative experience as the former head of the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, would give Bush the chance to bolster his legacy by naming the first African-American chief justice. But some conservatives have said that Thomas, who was barely confirmed in 1991 after he was accused of sexual harassment, could be reluctant to face a second confirmation battle.

Thomas, the most predictably conservative vote on the court, rarely contributes to court discussions during oral arguments, sitting silently while the other eight justices speak.

In December 2004, Senate Minority Leader Harry Reid, Democrat of Nevada, told NBC's ''Meet the Press" that Thomas has been an ''embarrassment" to the Supreme Court.

''I think that his opinions are poorly written," Reid said. ''I just don't think that he's done a good job as a Supreme Court justice."

During the same appearance, Reid praised Scalia as someone he would support for chief justice even though the two do not share the same political views, calling him ''one smart guy."

Scalia is known for his wit and well-written opinions, though he is also known for caustic attacks on colleagues, a trait that could undermine his ability to keep the court running smoothly as chief.

Should Bush elevate Roberts, Scalia, or Thomas as chief justice, he would still have another seat to fill. Many were surprised that in July he did not name a Hispanic or a woman to replace O'Connor, the first woman on the Supreme Court, and the vacancy will give him another chance to diversify the bench.

The Hispanic community is the fastest-growing demographic group in the United States, and Latino political and legal groups have put forward many Hispanic jurists as qualified candidates for the Supreme Court.

Judge Emilio Garza of the Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals in New Orleans was appointed by Bush's father in 1991. Garza, 58, is a solid conservative who has been an outspoken critic of Roe v. Wade, the 1973 Supreme Court decision that recognized a constitutional right to an abortion.

Another name that has received attention is that of Florida Supreme Court Justice Raoul Cantero III, a 45-year-old Cuban-American and former corporate lawyer who was named to the bench by the president's brother, Governor Jeb Bush of Florida. Cantero is relatively young and would have a very long tenure on the Supreme Court.

Many conservatives have expressed concern that Bush may instead nominate Attorney General Alberto Gonzales, a personal friend from Bush's days as Texas governor.

Conservatives do not trust Gonzales because he has said that Roe v. Wade is ''settled law," but Democrats have been receptive to his candidacy, suggesting a possible easy confirmation.

Among the favorites should Bush choose to nominate a woman are Edith Jones and Edith Brown Clement, both Fifth Circuit judges who were on the short list to replace O'Connor.

Of the two, Jones has been more outspoken about abortion, criticizing Roe v. Wade as an ''exercise of raw judicial power."

Clement, by contrast, has less of a specific record on inflammatory social issues, though she is known as a strict conservative.

Two other appeals-court judges -- Janice Rogers Brown and Priscilla Owen -- were both recently confirmed after years of delay because of filibusters by Democrats, who accused them of being right-wing ideologues.

[lawyergirl25]

Bush Nominates Roberts As Chief Justice (http://news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&u=/ap/20050905/ap_on_go_su_co/scotus)

[emschwar]

OMG. Isn't he like 12? How is someone who's only been a judge for 2 years qualified to be chief justice?

[kris97]

OMG. Isn't he like 12? How is someone who's only been a judge for 2 years qualified to be chief justice?

I'll tread lightly on this, because I really don't like to get into these things, but Judge Roberts's career spans far more than 2 years as a judge. He clerked for Judge Friendly, one of the top circuit court judges of our time, as well as for Judge Rehnquist. He spent years as a lawyer for the federal government -- in the Dept of Justice, in the White House, and as Deputy Solicitor General, where he argued, I think, more than three dozen cases in the Supreme Court. He then left to become a well respected partner at Hogan and Hartson, one of the top law firms in DC. He's been found "well qualified" by the ABA, and even the NY Times, which has done a series of in depth articles concerning his background, has found nothing to dispute his qualifications as an attorney or judge. Whether you agree with his politics or not, I don't think people can seriously challenge his credentials.

FWIW, I work for the fed govt here in NYC, which is pretty Democratic, and all the colleagues I've talked to support him. I'm not a fan of Bush, but I support his selection of this eminently qualified candidate.

[maggieb]

I'm not up on Supreme Court justice nomination etiquette, but isn't kind of a slap in the face to the others justices that GWB didn't elevate one of them to Chief Justice? It seems to me that it would be natural to make a current justice the Chief Justice based on experience as a Supreme Court justice. I know that GWB can nominate whomever he wants to, but I was a little dumbfounded by his choice simply b/c of his lack of experience as a Supreme Court judge.

[lawyerlee]

One Man's Unwavering Constitution (http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2005/09/04/AR2005090401523_pf.html)
To the End, Rehnquist Followed His Own Path
Washington Post

By Marcia Davis
Washington Post Staff Writer
Monday, September 5, 2005; C01

Chief Justice William H. Rehnquist worked until the very end.

It was his way, say those close to him.

He took pride in making sure that the top level of the nation's third branch of government functioned with precision, always on time, cases moving efficiently, one after the other, a system never wavering, never faltering. It was a work ethic and style that earned him the deep respect of his fellow justices, including those who did not side with his conservative philosophy.

And so it was that during the last year of his life, as he battled thyroid cancer until his death Saturday night at age 80, "the Chief" was in his chambers as often as possible. At his desk. Working.

James C. Duff, a former chief of staff for Rehnquist, saw him there as recently as two weeks ago. Rehnquist was there handling court business, Duff says. The two had known each other since the 1970s, when Rehnquist was an associate justice and Duff was working out of Chief Justice Warren Burger's chambers as the senior court attendant.

It was Duff's job to manage the logistics of the court's sessions. He sat behind the justices for four years, from 1975 to 1979, while studying law at Georgetown. Rehnquist was still relatively new to the court back then, having been nominated by President Richard Nixon in 1971.

It was nearly 20 years later, in 1996, when Duff went to work for Chief Justice Rehnquist. They were close colleagues and close friends, Duff says.

"He approached the disease the way he did everything, with energy, determination, focus, discipline," Duff said yesterday, measuring his words through grief and propriety. "He was a very disciplined man. And he had a very strong faith."

The two talked about work and family. It was, says Duff, a personal conversation, a talk between two friends, two men who'd known each other over mountains of time.

But the story of Rehnquist's last year on the court can be told in another way, too, through the press releases that came from his chambers.

For example, this one from October 2004: "Chief Justice William H. Rehnquist was admitted to Bethesda Naval Hospital on Friday, Oct. 22 and underwent a tracheotomy on Saturday in connection with a recent diagnosis of thyroid cancer. He is expected to be on the Bench when the Court reconvenes on Monday, November 1."

When Nov. 1 arrived, the statement from the nation's 16th chief justice went like this:

"I underwent a tracheotomy nine days ago and at the suggestion of my doctors am continuing to recuperate at home. According to my doctors, my plan to return to the office today was too optimistic.

"While at home, I am working on Court matters, including opinions for cases already argued."

On Nov. 26 would come another statement, about another surgery and a fall days before.

He would spend November and December at home. By Jan. 7, another announcement would say that the chief justice would not be present when court convened on the 10th. And no one knew for sure if he would be able to swear in George W. Bush for a second term. But there he was on that cold, crisp day, making his way with slow, stubborn steps.

They were steps that symbolized his love for the law and the high court.

"I know that he loved the court," says Charles Cooper, a former clerk. "He loved it as an institution. He was committed to it, 100 percent, especially after he lost his wife over 10 years ago. It became the central focus of his life. . . . I believe that he was committed to serving his constitutional term so long as his faculties permitted him to lead the court and to function and perform his duties."

Cooper spent some time with Rehnquist in his chambers earlier this summer, a few weeks before the annual reunion of Rehnquist's clerks in June.

"He was in great spirits at the time, perfectly clear and as quick as always. I think shortly thereafter he began another round of treatments and that took a visible toll on him," Cooper says.

But by the reunion, his spirits were back up, says Cooper. Of his more than 100 former clerks, now spread out all over the country, most turned out. "No one laughed louder or longer" than Rehnquist at the skits, which often lampooned him and which had become a tradition.

"He was just a regular guy," says Cooper. "He played poker. His favorite meal [for lunch] was a cheeseburger and a Miller Lite."

It was that regular-guyness, combined with a giant intellect, that his clerks say inspired their loyalty and reverence. The Chief was also known for his humor and practical jokes.

Mark Stancil, who clerked for Rehnquist from 2000 to 2001, recalled one instance when Rehnquist was being driven by a clerk who had not noticed that the red light had turned green. Rehnquist leaned over and said, "That's all the colors they have."

And he was an avid tennis player.

There was a standing doubles match every Thursday, just before lunch, at Hains Point. "For a man of 76, he was amazing," as a player. "You were encouraged not to hold back," says Stancil, who says he and his partner won only one set the entire year.

Richard Garnett, another clerk, even hit the chief justice on the head with the ball a couple of times during matches. Rehnquist, he said, was good-natured about the mistakes. He was always conscious of making sure the clerking experience was a good one for his staff, Garnett said.

He invited Rehnquist to speak to his law students at Notre Dame a couple of years ago and remembers the passion with which he spoke about the importance of balancing the law and life.

"He was open in saying he hoped young lawyers would be happy in their professions," Garnett recalls.

That balance of law and life came through one other news release from the chief justice's chambers. When the speculation this summer about his retiring was too much to bear, Rehnquist set the record straight in July.

"I'm not about to announce my retirement," he said. "I will continue to perform my duties as chief justice as long as my health permits."

His was a stubborn passion.

[lawyerlee]

Some really moving pictures from earlier today.

http://i23.photobucket.com/albums/b395/lawyerlee2/goverment%20and%20politics/OConnorScaliaThomasGinsburg.jpg
Justices Sandra Day O'Connor, Antonin Scalia, Clarence Thomas, and Ruth Bader Ginsburg come out to wait for the arrival of the Chief Justice's coffin. (Justices Anthony Kennedy and David Souter were absent from the ceremony.)

http://i23.photobucket.com/albums/b395/lawyerlee2/goverment%20and%20politics/clerkscasket.jpg
Former clerks of Chief Justice Rehnquist serve as pall bearers, bringing his casket into this Supreme Court's Great Hall.

http://i23.photobucket.com/albums/b395/lawyerlee2/goverment%20and%20politics/bringingcasket.jpg

http://i23.photobucket.com/albums/b395/lawyerlee2/goverment%20and%20politics/familycasket.jpg
Chief Justice Rehnquist's family follows behind the casket.

[lawyerlee]

http://i23.photobucket.com/albums/b395/lawyerlee2/goverment%20and%20politics/SDOcasket.jpg
Justice Sandra Day O'Connor watches as the clerks bring the casket up the stairs.

http://i23.photobucket.com/albums/b395/lawyerlee2/goverment%20and%20politics/SDOcasket2.jpg

http://i23.photobucket.com/albums/b395/lawyerlee2/goverment%20and%20politics/RobertsOConnor.jpg
Judge John Roberts, a pall bearer and nominee to replace Chief Justice Rehnquist, and Justice Sandra Day O'Connor.

[lawyerlee]

Public Begins Paying Respects to Rehnquist (http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2005/09/06/AR2005090600630_pf.html)
Chief Justice Lies in Repose Until Midday Wednesday, Followed by a Funeral for Friends and Family
Washington Post

By Daniela Deane and Tom Jackman
Washington Post Staff Writers
Tuesday, September 6, 2005; 11:54 AM

The flag-draped coffin of Chief Justice William H. Rehnquist was carried up the long marble stairs to the Supreme Court's Great Hall this morning by eight former law clerks, including John Roberts, the man nominated to succeed him.

After a brief, emotional prayer service attended by the Rehnquist family and six Supreme Court justices, official Washington began paying its last respects to the country's 16th chief justice. Rehnquist's body will lie in repose at the Supreme Court for public viewing until tomorrow.

As the pallbearers carried the wooden casket up the stairs in the highly symbolic ceremony, Justice Sandra Day O'Connor, who has announced plans to retire from the court, wiped away tears and appeared visibly shaken.

Rehnquist's casket was placed on the historic Lincoln catafalque, on which president's coffins have rested. The body of Abraham Lincoln was placed on the catafalque in 1865 after his assassination. Rehnquist, 80, died of thyroid cancer Saturday at his home in north Arlington.

Justices Anthony M. Kennedy and David Souter were absent from the ceremony.

The public may pay respects to the chief justice at the court from 10:30 a.m. to 10 p.m., today and from 10 a.m. to noon, Wednesday. A long line of people formed outside the Supreme Court building as the prayer service went on inside.

Ceremonies will conclude with the chief justice's burial at Arlington National Cemetery Wednesday afternoon, which will be private. Warren E. Burger and Earl Warren, Rehnquist's two immediate predecessors, are also buried at Arlington.

Rehnquist's family met yesterday with officials from the court and the Archdiocese of Washington, finalizing the arrangements for the funeral and burial. The family toured St. Matthew's Cathedral in Northwest Washington, where a service will be held at 2 p.m. Wednesday.

Officials have said the funeral is for friends and family. As chief justice, Rehnquist is entitled to a state-sponsored official funeral, including a 19-gun salute and other military honors.

Rehnquist belonged to a Lutheran church, but the family requested that the funeral be held at St. Matthew's. A spokeswoman for the archdiocese has said that the request apparently was based on such factors as size and availability. The service will be Lutheran, a Supreme Court spokeswoman said.

Details about speakers and expected guests at the funeral were not available yesterday.

Justice William J. Brennan Jr.'s funeral also was held at St. Matthew's, in July 1997, after his coffin lay in the Supreme Court's Great Hall.

Construction began on St. Matthew's in 1893, and the first Mass there was in 1895. Its sanctuary seats about 2,000 and contains the marble cathedra, or seat, of the archbishop of Washington. The church has undergone an $8 million restoration in recent years, including the cleaning and repair of two large mosaics inside and the recovering of its copper dome.

St. Matthew's was the site of the funeral Mass for President John F. Kennedy on Nov. 25, 1963. Pope John Paul II addressed 1,500 area priests there in October 1979 during a visit to Washington. The funerals of Cardinal James A. Hickey and Cardinal Patrick A. O'Boyle also were at St. Matthew's, on Rhode Island Avenue just east of Connecticut Avenue.

District police said yesterday they had not been informed of any special traffic or security needs for the various services, Sgt. Joe Gentile said. The Supreme Court has its own police force.

Rehnquist was a World War II veteran, entitling him to burial at Arlington. His wife, Natalie Cornell Rehnquist, was buried there in 1991.

Rehnquist's two immediate predecessors, Warren E. Burger and Earl Warren, also lay in repose in the Supreme Court building before they were laid to rest at Arlington.

Staff writers Charles Lane and Martin Weil contributed to this report.

[amew]

Some really moving pictures from earlier today.

Thanks for posting these. I agree -- they are very moving. The picture with all his law clerks serving as pall bearers and the picture of Justice O'Connor crying with her head bowed both choked me up.

In the midst of worrying about the political implications of all this, I think its important to take a minute to remember a man who dedicated his life to the Court for more than three decades.