[Congressional Bills 109th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. Res. 234 Agreed to Senate (ATS)]








109th CONGRESS
  1st Session
S. RES. 234

  Relative to the death of William H. Rehnquist, Chief Justice of the 
                             United States.


_______________________________________________________________________


                   IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES

                           September 7, 2005

   Mr. Frist (for himself, Mr. Reid, Mr. McConnell, Mr. Durbin, Mr. 
 Specter, Mr. Leahy, Mr. Akaka, Mr. Alexander, Mr. Allard, Mr. Allen, 
 Mr. Baucus, Mr. Bayh, Mr. Bennett, Mr. Biden, Mr. Bingaman, Mr. Bond, 
Mrs. Boxer, Mr. Brownback, Mr. Bunning, Mr. Burns, Mr. Burr, Mr. Byrd, 
Ms. Cantwell, Mr. Carper, Mr. Chafee, Mr. Chambliss, Mrs. Clinton, Mr. 
Coburn, Mr. Cochran, Mr. Coleman, Ms. Collins, Mr. Conrad, Mr. Cornyn, 
Mr. Corzine, Mr. Craig, Mr. Crapo, Mr. Dayton, Mr. DeMint, Mr. DeWine, 
 Mr. Dodd, Mrs. Dole, Mr. Domenici, Mr. Dorgan, Mr. Ensign, Mr. Enzi, 
Mr. Feingold, Mrs. Feinstein, Mr. Graham, Mr. Grassley, Mr. Gregg, Mr. 
 Hagel, Mr. Harkin, Mr. Hatch, Mrs. Hutchison, Mr. Inhofe, Mr. Inouye, 
  Mr. Isakson, Mr. Jeffords, Mr. Johnson, Mr. Kennedy, Mr. Kerry, Mr. 
Kohl, Mr. Kyl, Ms. Landrieu, Mr. Lautenberg, Mr. Levin, Mr. Lieberman, 
   Mrs. Lincoln, Mr. Lott, Mr. Lugar, Mr. Martinez, Mr. McCain, Ms. 
Mikulski, Ms. Murkowski, Mrs. Murray, Mr. Nelson of Florida, Mr. Nelson 
     of Nebraska, Mr. Obama, Mr. Pryor, Mr. Reed, Mr. Roberts, Mr. 
Rockefeller, Mr. Salazar, Mr. Santorum, Mr. Sarbanes, Mr. Schumer, Mr. 
Sessions, Mr. Shelby, Mr. Smith, Ms. Snowe, Ms. Stabenow, Mr. Stevens, 
    Mr. Sununu, Mr. Talent, Mr. Thomas, Mr. Thune, Mr. Vitter, Mr. 
     Voinovich, Mr. Warner, and Mr. Wyden) submitted the following 
             resolution; which was considered and agreed to

_______________________________________________________________________

                               RESOLUTION


 
  Relative to the death of William H. Rehnquist, Chief Justice of the 
                             United States.

Whereas William H. Rehnquist, the late Chief Justice of the United States, was 
        born in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, to William Benjamin Rehnquist and Margery 
        Peck Rehnquist and raised in Shorewood, Wisconsin;
Whereas a young William H. Rehnquist served our Nation during the Second World 
        War in the United States Army Air Force at home and abroad from 1943 to 
        1946;
Whereas William H. Rehnquist enrolled in Stanford University, where he earned a 
        bachelor's and master's degree in political science and was elected to 
        Phi Beta Kappa;
Whereas William H. Rehnquist earned a second master's degree in government from 
        Harvard University;
Whereas William H. Rehnquist graduated first in a very impressive class, 
        including his future Supreme Court colleague, Sandra Day O'Connor, from 
        Stanford University's School of Law;
Whereas William H. Rehnquist began his legal career by serving as a law clerk to 
        Supreme Court Justice Robert Jackson;
Whereas William H. Rehnquist married the late Natalie Cornell, and they raised 
        three children, James, Janet, and Nancy;
Whereas William H. Rehnquist was an accomplished attorney, having practiced law 
        for 16 years in Phoenix, Arizona;
Whereas President Richard Nixon selected William H. Rehnquist to serve as 
        Assistant Attorney General for the Office of Legal Counsel of the 
        Department of Justice;
Whereas President Richard Nixon also nominated William H. Rehnquist to serve as 
        an Associate Justice on the Supreme Court of the United States;
Whereas President Ronald Reagan nominated William H. Rehnquist to serve as the 
        sixteenth Chief Justice of the United States;
Whereas William H. Rehnquist had a profound love for history and respect for the 
        arts and served as Chancellor of the Smithsonian Institution for 19 
        years;
Whereas William H. Rehnquist was a skilled writer and avid historian and 
        authored several books on Supreme Court history and the American legal 
        system;
Whereas William H. Rehnquist was a man of enormous intellect and great common 
        sense, a combination that was reflected in the clarity of his opinions;
Whereas William H. Rehnquist's record illustrates his unwavering commitment to 
        judicial restraint, judicial independence, and the rule of law;
Whereas, under his firm leadership and superb managerial skills, William H. 
        Rehnquist efficiently managed the Supreme Court of the United States for 
        19 years;
Whereas leaders of both political parties agree that William H. Rehnquist served 
        with honor and integrity in his role as the second Chief Justice of the 
        United States to preside over a presidential impeachment trial, 
        respecting the institutional domain of the Senate and its processes, 
        procedures, and traditions;
Whereas, as the leader of the Supreme Court, William H. Rehnquist was highly 
        regarded by all of his colleagues, including those with differing 
        judicial philosophies;
Whereas his former colleagues have described William H. Rehnquist as a 
        ``splendid administrator'', ``the most efficient manager'', ``a great 
        Chief Justice'', ``meticulously fair'', and the ``most all-around 
        successful'' Chief Justice;
Whereas William H. Rehnquist served with distinction on the Supreme Court of the 
        United States for over 14 years as an Associate Justice and 19 years as 
        the Chief Justice, more than 33 years in all;
Whereas William H. Rehnquist was the fourth longest serving Chief Justice of the 
        United States;
Whereas William H. Rehnquist was one of our Nation's most influential and 
        memorable Chief Justices;
Whereas William H. Rehnquist was the embodiment of the ideal qualities of a 
        judge, fair, impartial, open minded, and above all committed to the 
        Constitution and the rule of law;
Whereas William H. Rehnquist will be remembered as one of the greatest Chief 
        Justices of the United States;
Whereas William H. Rehnquist passed away on September 3, 2005, surrounded by his 
        loving family; and
Whereas our Nation is deeply indebted to William H. Rehnquist, a truly 
        distinguished American: Now, therefore, be it
    Resolved, That the Senate--
    (1) extends its heartfelt sympathy to the family and friends of 
William H. Rehnquist;
    (2) acknowledges William H. Rehnquist's lifelong service to the 
United States of America as a World War II veteran, a talented 
attorney, a dedicated public servant, a brilliant jurist, and one of 
our Nation's greatest Chief Justices; and
    (3) commends William H. Rehnquist for his 33 year tenure on the 
Supreme Court of the United States and his many accomplishments as 
Chief Justice of the United States.
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