William Rehnquist: Dogged Ideologue

Abstract

This thesis explores the life and career of William Rehnquist, the sixteenth Chief Justice of the United States. It argues that he was deeply and consistently ideological throughout his life, committed to strongly held conservative beliefs. He was intellectually curious and not necessarily dogmatic, especially as he shifted from being an associate justice to the new role and responsibility of leading the Court as its Chief Justice. Still, in the end, Rehnquist was remarkably consistent over time, and he was not the moderate figure he was often portrayed to be. The thesis traces Rehnquist’s life and career from his youth to his time as a Supreme Court clerk to his eventual appointment as an associate justice and elevation to Chief Justice. The thesis also explores the rise of the conservative judicial philosophy of originalism, given the overlap in timing between Rehnquist’s career trajectory and the start of originalism as a prominent part of the legal and political world. Throughout, it considers Rehnquist’s ideology and how it largely stayed the same in various circumstances, especially through the lens of significant Supreme Court opinions and dissents. Although some scholars have occasionally referred to Rehnquist as an originalist, he did not regularly use the terminology, and the philosophy was not as ubiquitous in his time as it is today. Overall, though, the thesis argues Chief Justice Rehnquist – often portrayed as a figure who moderated upon becoming Chief Justice – maintained consistently conservative beliefs throughout his life and career. He was not always reflexively, universally conservative, but simple portrayals of moderation are incomplete and inaccurate. The thesis concludes by examining what Rehnquist’s most significant rulings – as well as the controversies of his career – mean for his legacy, as well as for the Supreme Court as an institution and its role in American politics and society today.