Rehnquist Sits Out Some High Court Cases

WASHINGTON (AP) -- Chief Justice William H. Rehnquist has cut back on his workload while receiving treatment for thyroid cancer, a Supreme Court spokeswoman said Monday.

Rehnquist, 80, has been absent from the bench for almost two months but is working from home and receiving briefings on arguments he missed. Only very limited information about his condition has been released.

Until Monday, Rehnquist had participated in every decision. After two rulings were released that did not include votes by Rehnquist, Supreme Court spokeswoman Kathy Arberg issued a statement saying the chief justice will not participate in decisions from the dozen cases heard in November unless the remaining eight justices are deadlocked.

He does plan to vote in cases argued in December, she said.

http://www.nytimes.com/aponline/national/AP-Rehnquist-Cancer.html