The Post-Journal, February 2, 2003
Chief Justice William H. Rehnquist, who has led the Supreme Court since 1986, will deliver the keynote address at the dedication of the Robert H. Jackson Center in Jamestown on Friday, May 16.
Rehnquist served from 1952 to 1953 as law clerk to Robert H. Jackson, a former U.S. Attorney General, U.S. Supreme Court Justice and chief prosecuting attorney at the Nuremberg War Trials.
The dedication ceremony, according to Gregory L. Peterson, president of the Robert H. Jackson Center board of directors, will be held at the center's refurbished facilities at 305 E. Fourth St. Programming for the day's events is still being finalized.
Rehnquist, perhaps the most widely known Supreme Court justice ever to serve, will discuss his experiences with Jackson and how his leadership and work continue to impact governmental power and functions today.
The ceremony will be tailored to educate Jamestown-area school children with their studies on the U.S. Constitution and the Supreme Court.
At 78, Rehnquist has been on the job for more than three decades. He has participated in an extraordinary range of issues, from abortion to school prayer, the presidential impeachment in 1999 and the 2000 presidential election.
It was during his tenure at Stanford Law School in 1950 that Rehnquist earned a private interview with Jackson and was eventually selected for his clerkship.
Rehnquist achieved prominence in the Phoenix area and was eventually appointed assistant attorney general in the U.S. Justice Department's Office of Legal Counsel during the Richard Nixon presidency.
Not long after, Nixon selected Rehnquist to replace one of the retiring Supreme Court justices. In 1986, President Ronald Reagan nominated Rehnquist as chief justice of the United States.
The Robert H. Jackson Center was incorporated on March 14, 2001, and since that time more than $1.6 million in start-up capital has been raised to create the center.
Instrumental to the campaign were two individuals - Carl Cappa, now deceased, and Betty Lenna - and local foundations including The Gebbie Foundation and the Sheldon Foundation.
Both Cappa and Lenna believed that the legacy of this famous
''favorite son'' of Jamestown needed to be remembered and his ideas advanced
for the benefit of future generations.
Jackson rose from being a country lawyer in Chautauqua County to have a significant
impact on world and national affairs.
Through his writings and actions, Jackson came to personify the American ideal of fairness and justice as he applied international law to war crimes and crimes against humanity.
His approach at Nuremberg continues as the standard in dealing with crimes against humanity and such issues today.
''The mission of the Robert H. Jackson Center is to advance the legacy of Justice Jackson through education and exhibitry, symposia, and by pursuing the relevance of his ideas for our present generation,'' said Peterson.
''Special emphasis will be made on educating youth regarding issues of justice and fairness in all aspects of life, and in applying Jackson's views on international law as they relate to aggressive war, war crimes and acts of terror in today's world, he said."