Rehnquist Nomination

Kennedy’s commentary on the confirmation of Rehnquist for chief justice was a brilliant expose of this judge’s appalling record. The only problem is that all of this should have happened back in 1971 during his confirmation hearing for his first Supreme Court nomination.

At that time Rehnquist lied to the committee in a letter, denying that he had ever taken part “in challenging the qualifications of any voters.” Now that he is being pinned down--i.e., facing witnesses--he is beginning to hedge by stating that this question “covers 1953 to 1969, I don’t believe I can categorically say . . . that he had not “confronted voters” at the Bethune precinct in Phoenix.

Kennedy has shown us, with his review of Rehnquist’s Supreme Court record, his consistent opposition to individual rights in cases involving minorities, women, children and the poor (our justice sounds like a Reagan and a Regan clone).

The position of chief justice should not be given to a man who has a record of voting 77% against the individual in cases involving individual rights. Rehnquist is indeed way outside the mainstream of constitutional law. To repeat the senator’s words: “He is too extreme on race, too extreme on women’s rights, too extreme on freedom of speech, too extreme on separation of church and state--too extreme to be chief justice.”

Thank God we have senators such as Kennedy, Joe Biden Jr. (D-Del.), Howard Metzenbaum (D-Ohio) and Paul Simon (D-Ill.) to question these Administration nominations, but since the “Great Communicator” wants this confirmation, the panel chairman, Strom Thurmond (R-S.C.), will see that he gets it.

Just remember this, dear voters. Long after our President has retired to his ranch and chopped his last piece of firewood or had his last ride on “Ole Paint,” we shall have this extremist guiding us backward through history, undoing every gain that has been made for human individual rights since the turn of the century.

BILL DELLA PENNA

Alta Loma