Chief Justice Says He Will Stay

Yesterday evening at 9 oclock, Chief Justice William H. Rehnquist issued a public statement to the Associated Press stating that he is going to stay on as Chief Justice as long as his health permits.  He also reiterated that he has no plans on stepping down.  I have been of the view that the Chief Justice would not resign at the same time that Justice OConnor announced her resignation. This really doesnt change the primary issue.  The President needs to appoint a Justice who will be faithful to the Constitution, not legislate from the bench, and not become a policy-maker.  This standard is true regardless if there is one vacancy or as many as three.  The President has reiterated within the last 24 hours that he intends to appoint nominees who will not legislate from the bench.  I take the President at his word.  With each passing day, the President is getting closer to naming a replacement for Justice OConnor.  While there are a lot of names being bandied about, only the President and his closest circle know whom the actual nominee will be. 

Our work at the ACLJ continues to move forward this summer.  In addition to the work on the Supreme Court vacancy, our office is busy preparing briefs in the parental notification abortion case, as well as our RICO case.   I encourage you to listen to our radio broadcast, Jay Sekulow Live!, this afternoon, when we will be playing a portion of the debate that I had with Ralph Neas on CNNs Lou Dobbs Tonight program.  A transcript is also available at www.aclj.org.