The Chief Justice: Appointment and Influence

The Chief Justice brings together leading scholars of the courts whoemploy social science theory and research to explain the role of theChief Justice of the U.S. Supreme Court. They consider his appointment,office, powers, and influence both within the Court and in the Americansystem of government more generally. The chief justice presides overoral arguments and the justices’ private conferences. He speaks firstin those conferences, presents cases and other matters to the otherjustices, and assigns the Court’s opinions in all cases in which he voteswith the majority. In addition, he presides over the Judicial Conference ofthe United States, a policy-making body composed of lower-court federaljudges. As Chief Justice Charles Evans Hughes wrote, the Chief Justiceof the U.S. Supreme Court is the most important judicial officer in theworld.