Conservapedia - User contributions [en]

Stephen Breyer

2007-07-08T22:39:45Z

Tilo: Undo revision 222231 by Special:Contributions/BrianCo (User talk:BrianCo)

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The Honorable '''Stephen Breyer''' (born August 15, 1938) is an Associate Justice of the [[U.S. Supreme Court]], and is one of the most consistent liberal votes on the court. Breyer earned undergraduate degrees from [[Stanford University]] and Magdalen College, [[Oxford]], and received his LL.B. from [[Harvard]] Law School. In 1964 he served as a [[law clerk]] to Supreme Court Justice [[Arthur Goldberg]]. Following his clerkship, Breyer held several government posts, including Special Assistant to the Assistant U.S. Attorney General for Antitrust, Assistant Special Prosecutor for the [[Watergate]] Special Prosecution Force, and Special Counsel and Chief Counsel to the [[U.S. Senate Judiciary Committee]]. Breyer was a member of the faculty of Harvard Law School from 1967 to 1994 and the Harvard University [[Kennedy School of Government]] from 1977 to 1980.

Justice Breyer served as Judge on the First Circuit of the U.S. Court of Appeals from 1980 to 1990, and as Chief Judge of the First Circuit, 1990-1994. He was nominated to the Supreme Court by [[President Clinton]], and joined the court August 3, 1994.<ref>[http://www.supremecourtus.gov/about/biographiescurrent.pdf]</ref>

[[Category:US Judges]]

Samuel Alito

2007-07-08T22:38:39Z

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Samuel Alito is an Associate Justice of the [[U.S. Supreme Court]] (2006-). He was appointed by [[George W. Bush]] to fill the seat vacated by [[Sandra Day O'Connor]] after [[Harriet Miers]] was forced to withdraw her nomination.

[[Category:US Judges]]

Stephen Breyer

2007-07-08T22:38:14Z

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William Rehnquist

2007-07-08T22:38:10Z

Tilo: Undo revision 222223 by Special:Contributions/BrianCo (User talk:BrianCo)

William Rehnquist was an Associate Justice of the [[U.S. Supreme Court]] (1972-1986) and the 16th Chief Justice(1986-2005).

== Appointment ==
Rehnquist was nearly not confirmed as an associate justice on the Supreme Court, as early in his career, as a clerk on the Supreme Court for Justice Jackson, he had written a memorandum expressing some discontent with [[Brown v. Board of Education]], an earlier litmus test for the approval of a justice by the Judicial Committee of the Senate. Rehnquist insisted that his written statements were merely advisory opinions drafted to Justice Jackson, who he claimed disapproved of the ''Brown'' holding. Other former clerks of Justice Jackson dispute this characterization as unfair.

== Landmark Decisions & Judicial Theories ==
Rehnquist was known for his "Pillars of Freedom," or attempts to return to a more conservative approach to federalism and states rights. He was a consistent conservative voice on the Supreme Court, next to Justices Thomas and Scalia during his term as Chief Justice. His "pillars" were:
# Weakening the [[commerce clause]], which had been used as a "hook" for national legislation of all kinds, unrelated to commerce (U.S. v. Lopez). This had the effect of checking what had formerly been a fairly comprehensive governmental power over the states.
# Affirmative limits on the federal government's ability to regulate state affairs (National League of Cities). This interpretation of affirmative limits led to the defeat of elements of the [[Brady Bill]].
# Judicial Restraint, as in, the idea that the Court should stay out of matters of political importance where the legislature has clearly spoken.
# Strict Construction, as in, a narrow reading of the Constitution, although not as strict as [[Antonin Scalia]]'s [[new textualism]] approach.

[[Category:US Judges]]