Thursday, January 04, 2007

Drugged Out, Paranoid Chief Justice

Late Chief Justice William Rehnquist suffered from paranoid delusions and drug dependence during the early 1980s.

The findings come from his recently released FBI file. Legal Times got hold of it through a Freedom of Information Act Request.

The files show Mr Rehnquist was placed on the painkiller Placidyl in the 1970s for back pain. The drug is only supposed to be used for a few days. But Mr Rehnquist continued taking the drug for roughly a decade. That long term usage led to slurred speech. He quit the drug suddenly, triggering paranoid delusions.

The 1,561 page FBI file says Mr Rehnquist in 1981 believed the CIA was watching him and was convinced people were listening to him ouside his door.

And people complain about "activist" judges. (Legal Times)

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