This impresses me more than gold braid on a sleeve:

The chief justice's three children gathered near the of the coffin:James, a lawyer and former college basketball star; Janet, also a lawyer; and Nancy Spears, whom Rehnquist frequently credited as an editor of his books about Supreme Court history. Their children, Rehnquist's grandchildren, fidgeted and sobbed.

In the end, having children and grandchildren who will cry at your funeral is what matters most.

Thanks to Outside The Beltway and Traffic Jam.

Steal The Bandwagon reports exploding heads.

Posted by Charmaine at 08:41 AM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

Chief Justice William Rehnquist
1924-2005

The Chief Justice of the Supreme Court, William Rehnquist died tonight after battling thyroid cancer. A spokeswoman from the Court said that Rehnquist's three children were with him when he died at an Arlington, Virginia hospital earlier this evening.

News reports are already noting that his legacy includes moving the Court "toward a more conservative ideology."

I would add that among his most important acts in a long life of public service is the fact that he authored a dissent from the majority decision in Roe v. Wade that made abortion legal:

To reach its result, the Court necessarily has had to find within the scope of the Fourteenth Amendment a right that was apparently completely unknown to the drafters of the Amendment.

Taking that stand, joined only by Justice Byron White, is an honorable legacy.

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See "Rehnquist the Great?" by Jeff Rosen from The Atlantic in April (via Michelle Malkin).

Posted by Charmaine at 11:52 PM | Permalink | Comments (1) | TrackBacks (3)