Ready for Rome, Chief Justice Calls Time on Slower Colleagues

WASHINGTON — With the Supreme Court facing a backlog of major undecided cases, Chief Justice William H. Rehnquist has resorted to his annual threat to leave town before his fellow justices complete their work.

A speedy worker who hates to waste time, Rehnquist usually finishes his opinions within a few weeks. Several of his more plodding colleagues are apparently still writing concurring opinions and dissents on cases that were heard months ago. One case from October remains undecided. Until all nine justices finish work on a case, the ruling is not announced.

The 16 cases still waiting to be decided address such issues as assisted suicide, the Internet, the Brady Act, the line-item veto and new laws on religious freedom and on “sexual predators.”

Rehnquist has made clear he wants the court’s work completed by the end of next week. To emphasize the point, he let it be known around the court building that he has tickets to fly to Rome on the weekend to begin his summer vacation.

The eight-member court could in fact hand down opinions after the chief justice has left town for the summer, but usually his mild threat succeeds in breaking the backlog. Expect announcement of a series of major rulings starting Monday.