Quotes from William Rehnquist

If you could say of any one individual that the court as an institution is the length and shadow of that individual, surely it would be John Marshall.

We start with first principles. The Constitution creates a Federal Government of enumerated powers.

The 'wall of separation between church and state' is a metaphor based on bad history, a metaphor which has proved useless as a guide to judging. It should be frankly and explicitly abandoned.

The "wall of separation between church and State" is a metaphor based on bad history.

Perhaps you should say there should be mandatory retirement even of members of the court, members of the federal judiciary. I'm sure there can be questions about whether one does as good work when you get into your - you know, I'm 67.

The laws will not be silent in time of war but they'll speak with a somewhat different voice.

The Equal Rights Amendment would "turn holy wedlock into holy deadlock."

It is always possible for the court to overreach its proper bounds and perhaps declare a lot of laws unconstitutional and frustrate the will of the majority in a way that it ought not be frustrated.

A judge's disposition should be about evenly balanced between sail and anchor. He cannot be anchored to the past mechanically, but he ought not be moved by every puff of novel doctrine.

[I]f we assume a liberty interest but nevertheless say that, even assuming a liberty interest, a state can prohibit it entirely, that would be rather a conundrum.

The Constitution requires that Congress treat similarly situated persons similarly, not that it engages in gestures of superficial equality.