In her keynote address at the Penn Law Review Symposium, Linda Greenhouse -- the New York Times Supreme Court correspondent -- gave students the story behind the story of the Supreme Court.
Greenhouse, a Pulitzer Prize recipient, spoke only months after the first Supreme Court appointment in a decade.
Her speech focused on the differences between former Chief Justices William Rehnquist and Warren Burger.
Greenhouse, who began covering the Court toward the end of Burger's term in 1978, talked about how Burger's poor leadership skills affected Rehnquist's view of the court.
"Burger's personal and management styles were irritants to Rehnquist," she said.
She stressed the importance of keeping calm on the job.
"Burger had an anger that Rehnquist didn't," she added. "His comments about the court were often scathing."
Careful not to choose sides, Greenhouse said that there is much to learn from any justice's tenure.
"We'll have to wait and see what lessons [newly appointed Chief Justice] Roberts will take away."
-- Tali Yahalom
