Martin Austermuhle
Opinions may vary on the late Chief Justice William Rehnquist, but in terms of local politics, he was a staunch supporter of voting rights for District residents. Thanks to the folks at DC Vote, who today issued a press release honoring Rehnquist, we find that the Chief Justice, while U.S. Assistant Attorney General in 1970, argued the following:
The need for an amendment [providing representation for the District] at this late date in our history is too self-evident for further elaboration; continued denial of voting representation from the District of Columbia can no longer be justified.
We at DCist can only hope Chief Justice nominee Judge John Roberts, President George W. Bush, and members of Congress quickly recognize this self-evident rationale for full voting representation.
