[Congressional Record Volume 151, Number 110 (Wednesday, September 7, 2005)]
[Senate]
[Pages S9737-S9738]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                         SUBMITTED RESOLUTIONS

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 SENATE RESOLUTION 234--RELATIVE TO THE DEATH OF WILLIAM H. REHNQUIST, 
                   CHIEF JUSTICE OF THE UNITED STATES

  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, Mrs. 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:

                              S. Res. 234

       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 3 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;

[[Page S9738]]

       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 1 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 1 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 life-long 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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