William Rehnquist 2005 Deaths

William Rehnquist

chief justice of the U.S. Supreme Court who was appointed to the Court in 1971 by President Nixon. He became chief justice in 1986. One of the more conservative members of the Court, Rehnquist successfully reversed the liberal trend of the Warren Court. He consistently voted to strengthen and expand states' rights. Rehnquist presided over Gore v. Bush, the controversial 5–4 decision that established the outcome of the 2000 presidential election. He also supervised the 1999 impeachment trial of President Clinton. Rehnquist was diagnosed with thyroid cancer in 2004.