Chief Justice

Chief Justice is the title of the presiding judge of a supreme court. The term can apply to state or federal chief justices, but is mostly used in reference to the Chief Justice of the U.S. Supreme Court.

Chief justices are the most senior member of the court, regardless of how many years they served on the bench. As the most senior member of the court, they generally write the majority opinions when in the majority, which allows them to influence the historical record. In addition to holding the duties of the associate justices, chief justices have duties unique to their position. For example, federally, this includes the duty to preside over presidential impeachment trials under Article I - Legislative Branch, Section 3 of the Constitution.