NEWS RELEASE
www.ncsconline.org
Contact:
Lorri Montgomery, Communications Manager
The National Center for State Courts
300 Newport Avenue
Williamsburg, VA 23185-4147
757.259.1525
lmontgomery@ncsc.dni.us
William
H. Rehnquist was Friend to
National
Center for State Courts
Williamsburg, VA (Sept. 4, 2005) – The National Center for State Courts (NCSC) mourns the death of Chief Justice of the United States William H. Rehnquist, who was a strong supporter and longtime friend of the NCSC.
“The loss Chief Justice Rehnquist will be greatly felt by those of us in the nation’s state courts and by the National Center for State Courts,” said Mary Campbell McQueen, NCSC president. “Chief Rehnquist led this country’s highest court with tremendous integrity, intellect, and dedication, and he was a strong advocate for the state courts.”
To honor Chief Justice Rehnquist’s commitment to the states’ judiciary, in 1996, the National Center established the William H. Rehnquist Award for Judicial Excellence, presented annually to a state court judge who displays the highest level of judicial characteristics that were embraced by Rehnquist: judicial excellence, integrity, fairness, and professional ethics.
Since his inauguration as Chief Justice in 1986, Rehnquist demonstrated his commitment to the state courts by joining with the NCSC, the Conference of Chief Justices, and the College of William & Mary’s School of Law, in holding conferences, legal seminars, and conferring the court executive development degrees through the NCSC’s Institute for Court Management. Rehnquist always showed strong support for ongoing judicial education, maintaining judicial independence, and spreading the rule of law. In 2001, Rehnquist made his first official trip out of the country, when he traveled to Mexico with representatives from the NCSC and state and federal judges to meet with Mexican judicial officials about ethics in the judiciary, the relationship between the judicial branch and the media, and training of judicial personnel.
“For those of us at the National Center, Rehnquist’s work and accomplishments will live on through our annual award and by continuing the programs and conferences that he so proudly participated in,” McQueen said.
The National Center for State Courts, founded in 1971 by United States Chief Justice Warren E. Burger, is a non-profit organization dedicated to improving the administration of justice and provides leadership, research, technology, education, and training to the state courts. NCSC also is taking the lead on several key issues facing the justice system. For example, the NCSC is working to reform the foster care system, to improve citizen’s participation in the jury system, reform the judicial selection process, and to develop a model policy on public access to court records. NCSC is headquartered in Williamsburg, VA, with offices in Arlington, VA, Washington, DC, and Denver.
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