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.
Whether you agreed with him or not, it is hard to deny that he shaped the court in recent years. Many books will be written about him, and he will take his place with that handful of justices who have done as much to define the role of the Supreme Court. Chief Justice Renquist now quietly passes into the pages of history, as the battle for the court itself returns to the front page above the fold.
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