Chief Justice, 80, Led Court on a Conservative Path

WASHINGTON — Chief Justice William H. Rehnquist, who steered the Supreme Court on a more conservative course during more than 33 years on the bench and who presided over the impeachment trial of one president and helped elect another, died Saturday at his home in Arlington, Va. He was 80.

Rehnquist had been in failing health since he was diagnosed in October with thyroid cancer. An announcement from the court late Saturday said the chief justice had experienced "a precipitous decline in his health in the last couple of days" and died in the evening, surrounded by his three children.

Rehnquist's death came on the eve of confirmation hearings for President Bush's first Supreme Court nominee, Judge John G. Roberts, whose first job in Washington was as a clerk for then-Justice Rehnquist.

The president will now have a second seat to fill on the high court, and the timing of Rehnquist's death may complicate the choice.

Earlier this year, many conservatives in Washington had cited Roberts as a likely choice for chief justice had Rehnquist retired, as expected at the end of this year's term in late June. Instead, Justice Sandra Day O'Connor surprised the White House by announcing her retirement.

About three weeks later, Bush then surprised many observers by nominating Roberts, rather than choosing a woman to fill the seat of the first woman to serve on the high court.

Nothing would prevent the president from changing course slightly and nominating Roberts to be chief justice. Or, he could choose to elevate one of the current members of the court to be chief justice, including Justice Antonin Scalia or Justice Clarence Thomas.

Or, he could nominate a new justice from among the many candidates who were carefully scrutinized earlier this year.

Rehnquist, an associate justice on the court from 1972 to 1986 and chief justice from 1986 on, refused to give in to his illness. He swore in President Bush for a second term in January and returned to the bench shortly afterward.

Though he appeared weak and spoke with difficulty, the chief justice participated in the court's oral arguments and could be counted upon to ask sharp questions. The other justices said he continued to handle his duties inside court, including leading the discussion at the court's private conference.