Rehnquist, William H(ubbs)

(born Oct. 1, 1924, Milwaukee, Wis., U.S.—died Sept. 3, 2005, Arlington, Va.) U.S. jurist who served as chief justice of the United States (1986–2005). He received his law degree from Stanford University and served as clerk to Supreme Court justice Robert Jackson. He later practiced law in Phoenix, Ariz. (1953–69), where he became active in the conservative wing of the Republican Party. At the U.S. Justice Department (1969–71), he opposed civil rights legislation and advocated greatly enlarged police powers. He was nominated for the Supreme Court by Pres. Richard Nixon in 1972. During the 1970s and into the '80s, Rehnquist formed the anchor of the court's conservative minority bloc. His polished legal opinions and consistently conservative stance on almost all legal issues led Pres. Ronald Reagan to appoint him chief justice in 1986. Rehnquist dramatically reduced the court's caseload and improved its efficiency. With the support of other conservatives, he led the court in curbing the ability of Congress to expand federal authority and in curtailing affirmative action programs. He presided over the U.S. Senate during the impeachment trial of Pres. Bill Clinton (1999).