1924- . Chief justice of the US Supreme
Court. Active within the Republican Party, he
was appointed head of the office of legal
counsel by President Nixon in 1969 and
controversially defended such measures as
pre-trial detention and wiretapping. He
became an associate justice of the Supreme
Court in 1972 and chief justice in 1986.
Under his leadership, the court has
established a reputation for conservative
rulings on such issues as abortion and
capital punishment.