Rehnquist Court Significance Courses

The Rehnquist Court refers to the Supreme Court of the United States during the tenure of Chief Justice of the United States William Rehnquist, who served from 1986 until his death in 2005. During the Rehnquist Court, the Court gained a reputation for a conservative leaning and a more minimalist approach, focusing mainly on states' rights issues. The most significant impact of the Rehnquist Court was its shift to the Right in both its cased law and its approach to constitutional interpretation. The court was slow to issue rulings concerning social issues, instead prioritizing state sovereignty and federalism, particularly in the areas of the death penalty and abortion. Additionally, the Rehnquist court held that state power could not be used to displace private economic activity and favored rulings which struck down state and federal legislative attempts to regulate economic activity. The Rehnquist court was also influential in preserving the basic structure of the Constitution. This was especially evident in their decisions on the 10th Amendment, which states that any powers not assigned to the federal government by the Constitution belong to the states or to the people. The court argued that federalism itself is a constitutionally protected principle, and the power of Congress to regulate commerce among the states should be limited. Finally, the Rehnquist court was notable for its expansive view of the rights of criminal defendants. Led by justices like Antonin Scalia, the court ruled that a broader interpretation of the Sixth Amendment right to counsel must be adopted, meaning that states must guarantee attorneys to those unable to afford them. The court also limited the often draconian application of criminal statutes, such as the Sentencing Reform Act of 1984. The Rehnquist Court served as an important conservative check on the more liberal policies of Congress, the president, and the lower courts. Ultimately, their decisions helped bring the Supreme Court and the legal system in general back to the constitutional limits set out by the Founding Fathers.