Maxwell Nakos (3283)

Title: From Lone Ranger to Majority Leader: Tracing the Evolution of the Role of the Chief Justice of the Supreme Court from 1986 to the Present

Project Description:

This summer research project will contribute to an honors thesis that traces the transformation of the United States Supreme Court from the beginnings of the conservative legal movement of the 1970’s and the “federalism revolution” that defined Rehnquist’s time on the bench to the Roberts courts’ conservative majority. Rehnquist’s term as chief justice (1986-2005) marked a time of significant institutional change and increased efficiency that the Roberts’ court enjoys today. Further, Rehnquist and Roberts were/are ideological conservatives, sons of the midwest, Harvard College undergraduates, worked for the Justice Department, and presided over the impeachment trials of Presidents Clinton and Trump, respectively. An examination of these two chief justices’ lives, the issues they faced on the bench, and their jurisprudence may help to better define the current Supreme Court and what it reflects about the broader American legal landscape.

Hometown: Manchester, New Hampshire

Department: Government

Advisor: Christine Nemacheck

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