Nixon White House Tapes — Conversation 017-076
Date: Saturday, December 25, 1971 at 10:53 AM
Participants: Nixon, Richard M. (President); Burger, Warren E.
Recording device: White House Telephone
Source: https://www.easynixon.org/tapes/017-076

This transcript was generated automatically by AI (WhisperX) and has not been reviewed for accuracy. Do not cite it as authoritative.

[0:01] Hello.
[0:01] Keep Justice Berger on the line, sir.
[0:04] Warren, I just called to wish you and all the family a Merry Christmas.
[0:08] Well, how wonderful of you to take the trouble.
[0:11] And to tell you that I'm really pleased that you've now got a couple more people in that court, and that load you've been carrying is a little bit lighter.
[0:18] Well, it is.
[0:21] It's going to be at least two really first-class men.
[0:24] Right.
[0:25] One thing I think, of course, you've known Powell for years, but one thing...
[0:29] One thing about Rehnquist that I think you'll be pleased, he is a bearcat for work, and he's totally honest and objective, and so I just pile it on him.
[0:40] He can take, you know, most people think that the only cases that come to the court are the spectacular ones, but my guess is 80% of them are things that are just hard work.
[0:48] And this fellow is a fantastic worker.
[0:52] That's one of the reasons that when I finally came down, I thought he'd be a good one to add to the court.
[0:57] He certainly shows every sign of it.
[0:59] I've had two, three visits with him.
[1:01] Have you?
[1:02] Good.
[1:02] And he's just so eager to get to work.
[1:04] And, of course, from his work with Bob Jackson, he knows the machinery of the course and the technique.
[1:10] Right.
[1:11] So he's got a running head start.
[1:13] I won't be here for the swearing-in because I'll be down with Sato.
[1:17] Oh, yeah.
[1:18] But I met them the other day and gave them their commission.
[1:21] So the main thing is you work them in.
[1:23] Let me say that all this talk about the Nixon court is nonsense.
[1:27] To me, it's the Burger court.
[1:29] That's what we want.
[1:32] It's the Supreme Court.
[1:34] I think now we're on the way to having a mighty good court for the future.
[1:35] Right, right.
[1:37] You're getting off soon, are you?
[1:39] Well, I have to go to Florida tomorrow for meetings.
[1:42] We're down at Williamsburg.
[1:46] We took the house down here, then took our son and daughter, and we're just taking it easy.
[1:51] We went to design service at the old Bruton Parish house last night and had a great time.
[1:53] Wonderful.
[1:54] Well, give our very best to Mr. Nixon, will you?
[1:56] Well, you've been a great credit to the court, and the country's grateful.
[1:59] Well, I think we're on the way to maybe getting this country back on the road, and your part in the way these things are going, and your department are going beautifully.
[2:09] It's a little cooler than it was.
[2:14] I said, how's the health of the country?
[2:16] I said, better.
[2:17] But I said, it's never going to be perfect.
[2:18] I said, we don't live in a perfect world, but every year we'll make a little progress.
[2:24] Right.
[2:25] Right.
[2:28] Right.
[2:29] Okay.
[2:30] Bye.