William Rehnquist, chief justice of the United States, spoke to a packed Page Auditorium Saturday afternoon, discussing the lives of the first 14 chief justices.
"In 213 years... while there have been 43 presidents, there have been only 16 chief justices," said Rehnquist, who did not discuss his term or that of his predecessor, Warren Burger, with whom he served.
Beginning with the lesser-known first chief justice John Jay and concluding with Earl Warren, best known for the 1954 Brown v. Board of Education decision, Rehnquist reviewed historical facts, adding humor and tidbits of personal information to give the audience a sense of the previous chief justices' personalities.
"A president brings to office his entire cabinet," Rehnquist said. "But the chief justice brings to office no one but himself.... [The chief justice's] stature will depend on how he uses [the tools available]."
Throughout the speech, Rehnquist emphasized the importance that personality played in determining the success of a chief justice's tenure, especially as it related to the relationship between the justices.
The 77-year old Rehnquist, a conservative known for his support for states' rights over broad federal government power, was appointed to the court as an associate justice in 1971 by President Richard Nixon, Law '37. In 1986, President Ronald Reagan elevated Rehnquist to the position of chief justice, a post he currently holds.
In her introduction, Katharine Bartlett, dean of the School of Law, emphasized that the Rehnquist court has had "an indelible impact" on constitutional law and described Rehnquist as "an accomplished historian."
One of Rehnquist's most public moments was when he presided over the impeachment trial of President Bill Clinton in 1999.
Seven years earlier, Rehnquist had written a book about the impeachment trials of Justice Samuel Chase and President Andrew Johnson; he has also written on the history of the U.S. Supreme Court and on civil liberties during war time.
"It is all we had hoped for, and much more," Bartlett said after the conclusion of the speech. There was no question-and-answer session afterward.
Rehnquist's address was the inaugural lecture in a new series, entitled "Great Lives in the Law," sponsored by the law school and the Duke Program in Public Law, which is underwritten by Marcy and Rick Horvitz, Law '78.
"[The series is] a new initiative intended to present experiences of leading lawyers and judges of our time," Bartlett said. "We could think of no more appropriate figure than the honorable William H. Rehnquist, chief justice of the Supreme Court."
The series will welcome Associate Justice Sandra Day O'Connor next April, and Associate Justice Anthony Kennedy is expected to visit Duke in the fall.
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