Rehnquist insists he won’t resign

WASHINGTON - Chief Justice William H. Rehnquist, denying rumors of his retirement, said Thursday he will continue heading the court as long his health permits. “I’m not about to announce my retirement,” he said.
“I want to put to rest the speculation and unfounded rumors of my imminent retirement,” Rehnquist, 80, and ailing with thyroid cancer, said in a statement obtained by The Associated Press. “I am not about to announce my retirement. I will continue to perform my duties as chief justice as long as my health permits.”Rehnquist released the statement hours after being released from an Arlington, Va., hospital after being treated for two days with a fever.