President Ronald Reagan nominated William Rehnquist to be elevated from Associate Justice to Chief Justice following the retirement of Chief Justice Warren Burger, in 1986. This occurred nearly a year into Reagan's second term of office.
Although Burger had been a critic of his predecessor, Earl Warren's, decisions, and his politics were more conservative than Warren's, the Burger Court was only slightly more conservative than the Warren Court, due to the number of progressive justices still on the bench.
In contrast, Chief Justice Rehnquist was considered an ultra-conservative extremist, even by some members of the Republican party.
Rehnquist was determined to reverse the liberal trends and "abdication to politics," he felt had occurred on the Court, but failed to build consensus for his plain. His thinking was so far outside the mainstream, conservative justices sometimes felt compelled to take a more liberal stance, thwarting Rehnquist's goals. Toward the end of his life, Justice Scalia noted Rehnquist was inclined toward advocating conservative outcomes unsupported by legal reasoning.
William Rehnquist lead the Court from September 25, 1986 until his death on September 3, 2005. He was succeeded in office by the incumbent Chief Justice, John Roberts, Jr.
President Ronald Reagan appointed Justice O'Connor to the US Supreme Court in 1981, during his first term of office. She retired from the Court in 2006, after serving during Presidents George HW Bush, Bill Clinton, and first George W. Bush administrations.
President Reagan nominated the first woman, Justice Sandra Day O'Connor, to the US Supreme Court in 1981. Justice O'Connor retired in January 2006.
Justice Sandra Day O'Connor was a member of the US Supreme Court until January 31, 2006; Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg was the only woman on the Court after Justice O'Connor retired. Ginsburg remained the only female US Supreme Court justice until President Obama appointed Justice Sonia Sotomayor in 2010.
Sandra Day O'Connor (born March 26, 1930) is a retired Supreme Court Justice. She was the first woman appointed to be a Justice of the US Supreme Court; President Reagan appointed her in 1981. She served till 2006.
According to the official Senate record, the Supreme Court confirmation votes (by appointment date): Justice Kagan............................63-37............08/05/10...............Obama Justice Sotomayor......................68-31............08/06/09...............Obama Justice Alito..............................58-42.............01/31/06..............GW Bush Chief Justice Roberts..................78-22.............09/29/05..............GW Bush Justice Breyer............................87-9..............07/29/94...............Clinton Justice Ginsburg........................96-3...............08/03/93..............Clinton Justice Thomas.........................52-48.............10/15/91...............GHW Bush Justice Kennedy.........................97-0...............02/03/88..............Reagan Justice Scalia............................98-0...............09/17/86...............Reagan
president reagan elevated william rehnquist to chief justice
Chief Justice Roberts is conservative. Prior to joining the US Supreme Court he served in both the Reagan and George H W Bush administrations in the Attorney General's Office and as Associate White House Counsel. President George W. Bush appointed Roberts to the US Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit, then elevated him to Chief Justice of the Supreme Court upon the death of late Chief Justice William H. Rehnquist in 2005.
President Reagan appointed Senior Associate Justice Antonin Scalia to the Supreme Court on September 26, 1986.
president reagan elevated william rehnquist to chief justice
In 2014 the U.S. Supreme Court consists of four Justices who were appointed by Democratic presidents and five Justices, including the Chief Justice, who were appointed by Republican presidents.Barack Obama appointed Justices Sotomayor and Kagan.George W. Bush appointed Justice Alito and Chief Justice Roberts.Bill Clinton appointed Justices Ginsburg and Breyer.George H. W. Bush appointed Justice Thomas.Ronald Reagan appointed Justices Kennedy and Scalia.
President Ronald Reagan nominated senior Justice Antonin Scalia to the US Supreme Court in 1986. Justice Scalia will have served 25 years on September 26, 2011.
president reagan elevated william rehnquist to chief justice