William Rehnquist, approved by the Senate as the nation`s 16th chief justice, said Thursday he would put his prolonged confirmation fight behind him and concentrate on being ”a good chief justice.”
The Senate voted 65-33 Wednesday night to approve Rehnquist, 61, who has been on the Supreme Court since 1972. It was the largest number of negative votes ever cast against a Supreme Court nominee who was confirmed.
The Senate also approved Antonin Scalia, 50, a federal appeals court judge, on a 98-0 vote to replace Rehnquist as an associate justice.
”I`m not going to address myself to the past. I`m glad the confirmation process has finally run its course,” Rehnquist said after taking a traditional walk down the marble steps to meet reporters gathered in front of the Supreme Court building. ”I`m looking forward to the future and trying to be a good chief justice.”
Asked if he believed Senate opponents tried to intimidate him into becoming more liberal, he said, ”I don`t think I sensed that.”
He said he has no plans to change life at the Supreme Court. ”I believe you don`t fix anything that`s not broken. As far as I know, there`s nothing broken.”
Only two Republicans–Charles Mathias of Maryland and Lowell Weicker of Connecticut–broke ranks in opposing the nomination of Rehnquist, the most conservative member of the Supreme Court during his nearly 15-year tenure there. The 61-year-old Rehnquist, a Milwaukee native and former Justice Department official, succeeds Warren Burger–the nation`s chief justice since 1969.
Burger, 79, is retiring to devote full time to his role as chairman of the commission planning celebrations for the bicentennial of the U.S. Constitution.
Scalia, a federal appeals court judge for the District of Columbia who would be the first Italian-American on the Supreme Court, won unanimous 98-0 approval.
Sen. Alan Dixon (D., Ill.) was one of 16 Democrats who voted for Rehnquist. Sen. Paul Simon (D., Ill.) voted against confirmation.
