September 04, 2005

"The godfather of the constitutionalist movement has made his mark on history," Gray says.

WASHINGTON, D.C. The Committee for Justice (CFJ), which promotes constitutionalist nominees to the federal courts, today reacted to news of US Supreme Court Chief Justice William Rehnquist s death.

"This is a sad moment, as Justice Rehnquist has been a hero to constitutionalists for 33 years," CFJ Chairman C. Boyden Gray said. "He will go down in history as one of the great Chief Justices, and as a pivotal figure in American legal history."

"Justice Rehnquist went to the Supreme Court in 1972, at a time of ascendant judicial activism," Gray added. "His belief in the Founding Fathers vision of judicial restraint, federalism, and deference to the legislative and executive branches, increasingly unfashionable in the 1960s and '70s, has enjoyed a tremendous renaissance in his time. He is truly the godfather of the constitutionalist movement in American law."

"President Bush will face a substantial challenge in following this judicial giant," Gray concluded. "The nominee will need to be a principled constitutionalist, tireless worker, and of immense personal integrity. We are confidant the White House will pick an outstanding jurist."

The Committee for Justice defends and promotes constitutionalist judicial nominees.