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The Next Chief Justice No Longer?

Legal Times

March 7, 2005

Just two years ago, the buzz was that if Chief Justice William Rehnquist retired, Justice Anthony Kennedy had a good shot at replacing him. But then came Kennedy's majority opinion in Lawrence, which struck down sodomy laws and breathed new life into the gay rights movement. And last week, in a stunning reversal for the Court and himself, he led the way in striking down the juvenile death penalty, citing worldwide consensus against the practice. Nobody's talking about Kennedy for chief justice now.

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