Projo Politics Blog

Did you ever run into a guy named Bill at T.F. Green who seemed to be keeping a low profile and carrying legal briefs?

Well, it might have been the late United States Chief Justice William H. Rehnquist.

On Tuesday, Chief Justice John G. Roberts Jr. kicked off the centennial celebration of the federal courthouse in downtown Providence, marking the first time that a sitting Supreme Court chief justice had visited Rhode Island on official business in more than two centuries.

But unofficially, Rehnquist flew in and out of the airport in Warwick four or five times, according to Senior Circuit Judge Bruce M. Selya. Rehnquist would rent a car and drive to Sharon, Mass., to see his son, daughter-in-law and three grandchildren, he said.

Selya, who lives in Providence, said Rehnquist used to complain to him about flying into Boston’s Logan International Airport and about all the traffic delays stemming from Boston’s Big Dig. So Selya told him: “I can solve that problem for you. We have an airport in Rhode Island that is just as close to Sharon, and it’s much more user-friendly.”

Selya said Rehnquist told him: “Fine. Just don’t tell anyone I’m going to be doing this.”

So Rehnquist — who was appointed to the Supreme Court in 1972, became chief justice in 1986 and died in 2005 — would slip in and out with no security. Selya said he joked that he would provide Rehnquist with a big nose and mustache as a disguise.

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