The 4th Circuit Judicial Conference brings together hundreds of federal judges and lawyers from Maryland, Virginia, West Virginia, North Carolina and South Carolina. The songs are mostly American standards, including 'America the Beautiful' and 'Anchors Aweigh.' The evening typically ends, say those who have attended, with 'The Battle Hymn of the Republic,' a song written for the Union in the Civil War, and 'Dixie.' Rehnquist featured the singing of 'Dixie,' a song some lawyers found offensive.īut some African American lawyers say they avoided the sing-along this year because of their distaste for 'Dixie,' which was a marching song of Confederate troops during the Civil War and was played at Jefferson Davis's inauguration as Confederate president in 1861.Īt Rehnquist's sing-along, he stands at the front of the room leading lawyers and judges as they sing from a songbook distributed for the event. More than 100 attend in most years.ĭixie Sing-along A sing-along last month at a judicial conference in Virginia led by Supreme Court Chief Justice William H. Rehnquist's sing-along on the annual conference's first night has become a favorite among lawyers and judges who enjoy the chance to mingle with the Supreme Court justice in casual circumstances.

Rehnquist led a sing-along of 'Dixie' at a judicial conference in Virginia last month, upsetting some lawyers who view the anthem of the Old South as an expression of fondness for the days of slavery. Rehnquist during the impeachment trial of President Clinton in January.Ĭhief Justice William H. Rehnquist's Inclusion of 'Dixie' Strikes a Sour NoteĬhief Justice William H. : Rehnquist's Inclusion of 'Dixie' Strikes a Sour Note

Yuletide in Dixie by Robert E May