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William H. Rehnquist: A Life Lived Greatly, And Well, Richard W. Garnett Jan 2006

William H. Rehnquist: A Life Lived Greatly, And Well, Richard W. Garnett

Journal Articles

Chief Justice Rehnquist leaves behind a formidable and important legacy in constitutional law. His work on the Court was animated and guided by the view that We the People, through our Constitution, have authorized our federal courts, legislators, and administrators to do many things - but not everything. Because the Nation's powers are few and defined, Congress may not pursue every good idea or smart policy, nor should courts invalidate every foolish or immoral one. However, for those of us who knew, worked with, learned from, and cared about William Rehnquist, it is his unassuming manner, the care he took …


William Rehnquist, The Separation Of Powers, And The Riddle Of The Sphinx, Jay S. Bybee Jan 2006

William Rehnquist, The Separation Of Powers, And The Riddle Of The Sphinx, Jay S. Bybee

Scholarly Works

William Rehnquist's tenure on the Supreme Court presents a Sphinx-like riddle for students of the separation of powers: “What animal is that which in the morning goes on four, at noon on two, and in the evening on three feet?” One might well answer: “Rehnquist's separation of powers jurisprudence, as it is a difficult creature to characterize, arguably evolving over time.” In adolescence, it appeared an originalist on all fours, in manhood it walked erect, a Byron White functionalist, and in old age . . . well, perhaps the Sphinx might just devour one after all! Indeed, it is difficult …


The Rehnquist Court And The Groundwork For Greater First Amendment Scrutiny Of Intellectual Property, Mark P. Mckenna Jan 2006

The Rehnquist Court And The Groundwork For Greater First Amendment Scrutiny Of Intellectual Property, Mark P. Mckenna

Journal Articles

This contribution to the Washington University School of Law conference on the Rehnquist Court and the First Amendment addresses the Rehnquist Court's view of the role of the First Amendment in intellectual property cases. It argues that, while the Rehnquist Court was not eager to find a conflict between intellectual property laws and the First Amendment, there is reason to believe that it set the stage for greater First Amendment scrutiny of intellectual property protections. At the very least, the Court left that road open to future courts, which might be inclined to view intellectual property more skeptically.


The Rehnquist Court's Noninterference With The Guardians Of National Security, Gregory E. Maggs Jan 2006

The Rehnquist Court's Noninterference With The Guardians Of National Security, Gregory E. Maggs

GW Law Faculty Publications & Other Works

Based on an examination of the Rehnquist Court's national security cases decided between 1986 and 2005, this essay makes three claims. The first claim is that the Rehnquist Court generally did not interfere with the governmental units that serve as the guardians of national security. The Rehnquist Court almost always rejected challenges to governmental actions when the official responsible justified the actions based on the need to protect the United States from external threats. The second claim is that the Rehnquist Court's hands-off approach generally had favorable consequences. It promoted national security by leaving the subject to the governmental units …


Federalism, Instrumentalism, And The Legacy Of The Rehnquist Court, Peter J. Smith Jan 2006

Federalism, Instrumentalism, And The Legacy Of The Rehnquist Court, Peter J. Smith

GW Law Faculty Publications & Other Works

This paper starts from the proposition that although the Rehnquist Court imposed limits on federal power in the name of states' rights far more aggressively than did its post-1937 predecessors, it just as often chose not to impose limits in cases that otherwise fairly can be thought to have presented a question of federalism. The article then makes three claims. First, the article argues that any ultimately satisfying account of the Rehnquist Court's federalism doctrine must acknowledge that the decisions have often appeared to be driven as much by the Justices' policy preferences about the underlying substantive matters at issue …


Chief Justice Rehnquist's Enduring Democratic Constitution, Richard W. Garnett Jan 2006

Chief Justice Rehnquist's Enduring Democratic Constitution, Richard W. Garnett

Journal Articles

William H. Rehnquist's essay, The Notion of a Living Constitution, was delivered as the Will E. Orgain Lecture and then published thirty years ago, back when Rehnquist was still a relatively junior Associate Justice. The piece provides a clear and coherent statement of Rehnquist's judicial philosophy, and the Harvard Journal of Law and Public Policy and the Texas Law Review deserve thanks for their initiative and generosity in reproducing it, in memory of his life and work.

This introduction to Rehnquist's essay highlights his view that the Notion of a Living Constitution was to be resisted, not out of pious …