In the short run, the 'federalism revolution' of the 1990s is undeniably his most significant substantive achievement. But whether these rulings will survive in the long run, or instead be reversed, remains to be seen. It's much more likely that the Rehnquist Court's surprisingly liberal rulings -- on abortion, on gay rights, on gender -- will actually represent the most indelible legacy.
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Man is never honestly the fatalist, nor even the stoic. He fights his fate, often desperately. He is forever entering bold exceptions to the rulings of the bench of gods. This fighting, no doubt, makes for human progress, for it favors the strong and the brave. It also makes for beauty, for lesser men try to escape from a hopeless and intolerable world by creating a more lovely one of their own.
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