William Rehnquist

1924-10-01 - 2005-09-03 Contemporaries

William H. Rehnquist (1924–2005) was an American attorney who served as the 16th chief justice of the United States from 1986 until his death in 2005, having previously served as an associate justice from 1972 to 1986. A noted conservative, he favored a conception of federalism emphasizing the Tenth Amendment's reservation of powers to the states. He graduated first in his class from Stanford Law School and clerked for Justice Robert H. Jackson.