Chief Justice on the bench
on Mar 21, 2005 at 12:02 pm
Chief Justice William H. Rehnquist, absent from the Supreme Court’s public sessions since October 18, presided as the Court opened at 10 a.m. Monday. His voice barely recognizable, due to the effects of his treatment for thyroid cancer, Rehnquist followed the usual routine at the start of a hearing session. He sat throughout the two-hour session, and participated in questioning counsel. By one observer’s count, the Chief Justice asked seven questions in each of the two argued cases. Some who witnessed the session thought that he was somewhat less actively involved than he usually has been in the past.
