IP: An interview with John Dean

[David Farber <dave () farber net>]

> From: "RV Head" <4whp () home com>
> To: "David Farber" <dave () farber net>
>
> http://writ.news.findlaw.com/hilden/20011101.html
>
> John Dean (yes, THAT John Dean) has a new book about CJ Rehnquist's
> appointment as Associate Justice in 1971 and subsequent elevation to Chief
> Justice in 1986.
>
> Findlaw.com published a short interview with Mr. Dean, from which the
> following Q&A is excerpted:
>
> -----snip--snip--snip----
>
> Q: The book refers to a document in which Rehnquist defines or describes a
> "strict constructionist." Given the fact that President George Bush said
> that was what he would appoint to the Court during the 2000 presidential
> campaign, let me ask as a final question what you think of Rehnquist's
> explanation of what a strict constructionist is.
>
> A: It is the most honest definition or description of a strict
> constructionist I have ever seen, and given the fact it was provided by the
> Chief Justice of the United States, a jurist who considers himself a strict
> constuctionist, I don't believe anyone can ignore it. However, I think that
> if the president ever appoints a strict constuctionist as defined by
> Rehnquist, he should be tarred and feathered by the media. And I think
> anyone who is aware of the Chief Justice's explanation and who has any sense
> of decency would agree.
>
> The Rehnquist definition was in a memo he sent to the White House when he
> was an Assistant Attorney General in charge of the Office of Legal Counsel
> and was vetting Judge Clement Haynsworth. It is quite remarkable, but he
> asserts that a strict constructionist judge is one who favors criminal
> prosecutors over criminal defendants, and civil rights defendants over civil
> rights plaintiffs. It is, for me, a description of a person who should be
> automatically disqualified from sitting on any court. Under Rehnquist's
> definition a strict constructionist is obviously a biased judge as well.


For archives see:
http://www.interesting-people.org/archives/interesting-people/