Chief Justice Rehnquist dies, RIP

[Bill Murphy]

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I would assume that the next longest serving justice would get the nod, maybe. I can't see Scalia, Thomas, or Ginsburg as the next chief justice, so it may very well go to Stevens.

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I was confused by this, as there's no way Bush will elevate a commie like Stevens to Chief. Also, more CJ's have been direct appointments than elevations(~16 v 12), including Burger & Warren. However(and I'd spaced this), should there be no new Chief confirmed when the next term starts in October, the longest tenured Assoociate Justice(Stevens) becomes acting Chief.

This actually bodes well for the "Roberts now becomes the nominee for Chief" scenario, but I'll start a new thread about that.