An Independent Judiciary: Bulwark of the Constitution

This Article is the text of a speech given by Chief Justice Rehnquist in celebration of the Bicentennial of the United States Constitution. The Article explores the history of the Constitution in light of the political environment of the time. Similar documents which existed in certain European countries at this time are compared and contrasted to the Constitution. The focal point of the comparison is an illumination of the importance of the Constitution's provision for an independent judiciary--the unique mechanism by which the rights of individuals are enforced.