One of the most famous members of the Tabernacle Choir sang with the choir only twice.
Former Chief Justice of the Supreme Court Warren E. Burger, who died Sunday at the age of 87, was made an honorary member of the Tabernacle Choir in 1975.Burger, whose court created the right to an abortion and bolstered separation of church and state, was in Salt Lake City Sept. 6 that year to speak on a nationally televised program promoting the nation's bicentennial. He joined the choir in singing "Battle Hymn of the Republic" and was proclaimed an honorary choir member.
That was the second time the chief justice had sung with the choir. On Aug. 19, 1971, in town for a judicial conference, Burger and Justice Harry Blackmun attended a rehearsal of the choir. After commenting on how much he enjoyed the rehearsal, Burger was asked to join with the choir in singing "Pilgrims Chorus."
A self-made success, Burger will surely be remembered as a modulating bridge between the activist Warren court and today's more moderate Supreme Court.
Since Burger's retirement, his 17-year term as chief justice has been termed "the counterrevolution that wasn't." Appointed by President Richard Nixon in 1969, Burger was expected to modify some rulings made by his predecessor, Chief Justice Earl Warren.
But Burger surprised both conservatives and liberals by continuing most of the Warren Court's major initiatives. He wrote the opinion endorsing school busing as a tool to end segregation and allowed minority set-asides in affirmative action efforts. In his best-known case, in 1974, the court unanimously ordered Nixon to turn over papers and tapes of his White House conversations to a special prosecutor.
His upholding of key Warren rulings has likely inspired the moderation of current conservatives on the high court, and some who saw his court as lacking in direction are now calling him idealistic, even visionary.
Criticized by some as lacking in intellect, Burger showed strong administrative skills and should be credited with modernizing the judiciary through computerization and modern management.
Tall, with a shock of white hair and chiseled features, and often called charming and ceremony-seeking to the point of being pompous, Burger was the epitome of a chief justice in appearance and bearing.