(5 of 5)
As with any court, what Rehnquist has built could be torn down over time, but it would not be a day's work. "His doctrines are quite entrenched," says Chicago law professor Cass Sunstein, "both because the court respects its own precedents and because there aren't any liberals on the bench. There are moderates, but nobody is leading a countercharge." If anything, it's more likely--particularly if Bush is re-elected--that a conservative will also replace liberal John Paul Stevens, 83. That would give conservatives their Holy Grail, an unstoppable majority. Such a majority would certainly consolidate and enlarge Rehnquist's legacy after he leaves the court. But whenever Rehnquist retires, he will leave Washington a smaller place for his having been there. From the day he arrived, that was just what he had in mind. --With reporting by Perry Bacon Jr. and Adam Milch/Washington