The Secret Life of William Rehnquist

Last year, I received the March 2010 ABA Journal, and I carefully set it aside to read the Herman Obermayer's article on William Rehnquist. Over a year later, I have now read the seven page article. The article was taken from Obermayer's book on Rehnquist, and so it reads a little choppily, but it conveys good things to know about our former Chief Justice.

The most interesting, from a legal scholar standpoint, is that Rehnquist "respected tradition and order --- intellectual and social, as well as political and economic. He believed that the proven and established should not be rejected until there are substantial reasons to believe that the new is superior." Knowing this about him, it would be interesting to review his opinions to see where he favored the status quo rather than adopting the suggested new interpretation or application.

Other tidbits included his punctual nature, his intentional addiction to cigarettes, his frugality and insistence on living within his means, and his concern for the Supreme Court, as a revered institution. If you get a chance, I'd recommend reading Obermayer's article for a quick read of Rehnquist anecdotes . . . it transforms Rehnquist from a well-respected jurist to a thoughtful guy who got his jollies by betting on political races.