Since his nomination to the Supreme Court in 1971, William Rehnquist set a conservative course.

Early in his court, he often found himself dissenting from the more liberal majority. But over time, his views on states’ sovereignty and on the Supreme Court’s ability to limit the authority of the federal government have come to dominate conservative thinking.

After becoming chief justice in 1986, Rehnquist further moved the court to the right. While he was unable or unwilling to overturn many of precedents targeted by the conservative movement – namely Roe v. Wade, which guarantees the right of a woman to have an abortion – his tenure leading the Supreme Court will be remembered for the expansion of judicial power.

Rehnquist, who died Saturday from thyroid cancer, will be buried today. His legacy is one of an empowered judiciary willing to use its high standing with the American public to move the country in a more conservative direction.