WASHINGTON: William Rehnquist, chief justice and a leading conservative voice on the US Supreme Court, died late on Saturday from thyroid cancer, setting the stage for a new political battle for President George W. Bush over the makeup of the judiciary.

Rehnquist, the 16th chief justice of the United States, “died this evening at his home in Arlington, Virginia, surrounded by his three children,” the court said in a statement.

He was first diagnosed with cancer last October, but had kept working up to recent days.

The news was delivered to Bush at about 11:00pm (0300 GMT on Sunday), the White House said.

“The president and Mrs Bush are deeply saddened at the passing of Chief Justice Rehnquist,” spokeswoman Jeanie Mamo said. “His family is in their thoughts and prayers.”

The president was to make a formal comment on Sunday.

Coming on the heels of the retirement of Justice Sandra Day O’Connor in July, Rehnquist’s death at the age of 80 broadens the political fight over the makeup of the Supreme Court, which plays a key role in shaping America’s political and social landscape.

Federal appeals court judge John Roberts, a conservative, has been named by Bush to replace O’Connor. Although his initial reception in Congress was positive, Roberts is expected to face a tough confirmation hearing, during which his positions on issues ranging from abortion to the role of government will be closely scrutinized.

The hearings are scheduled to start this week.

Rehnquist’s passing means the president will have to wage a second major political battle over a successor, who is likely to be a social conservative like Rehnquist.

The most mentioned name to become chief justice is Antonin Scalia, a pillar of the Supreme Court’s conservative faction. Appeals court Judge Michael Luttig or US Attorney General Alberto Gonzales are seen as likely candidates to take Scalia’s place.

Sensing a sea change ahead, National Organization for Women President Kim Gandy warned early Sunday that Rehnquist’s death gives Bush an opportunity to “not only upset the delicate balance on this Supreme Court, but also extend his right-wing ideology and disregard for individual rights to the third branch of government — the judiciary.”

Rehnquist had been in and out of hospital ever since his condition was diagnosed.

But with rumours about his retirement swirling, Renhquist moved forcefully to quash them in July, insisting in a statement he would not retire.

A reserved man of scholarly demeanour, he was first appointed to the Supreme Court in 1971 by President Richard Nixon and elevated to chief justice by President Ronald Reagan in 1986.

But once there, he cast a larger-than-life figure as he strove to reconcile his duties on the nine-member bench with his deep conservative convictions.

“The imprint of his gavel has been deep,” commented Republican Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist. “Its impact has been profound.”

Rehnquist was a strong opponent of abortion, gay rights, gun control and affirmative action for minorities. Even as a law clerk with the Supreme Court in the early 1950s, he wrote a memorandum arguing against school desegregation.

He never shirked from defending his views even in the minority, dissenting in the key Roe vs Wade case in 1973, which recognized abortion as a constitutional right.

He battled against the expansion of federal powers and spoke in favour of state rights.

In 1999, he presided over the impeachment trial — and acquittal — of President Bill Clinton in the Senate over charges of perjury and obstruction of justice stemming from his affair with White House intern Monica Lewinsky.—AFP