chief justice

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noun

Law. the presiding judge of a court having several members.

(initial capital letters)Official title Chief Justice of the United States. the presiding judge of the U.S. Supreme Court.

QUIZ

THINGAMABOB OR THINGUMMY: CAN YOU DISTINGUISH BETWEEN THE US AND UK TERMS IN THIS QUIZ?

Do you know the difference between everyday US and UK terminology? Test yourself with this quiz on words that differ across the Atlantic.

Question 1 of 7

In the UK, COTTON CANDY is more commonly known as…

candystring

candyfloss

candypuff

TAKE THE QUIZ TO FIND OUT

Origin of chief justice

First recorded in 1685–95

OTHER WORDS FROM chief justice

chief jus·tice·ship, noun

Words nearby chief justice

chief cook and bottlewasher, chiefdom, Chief Education Officer, chief executive, Chief Joseph, chief justice, chiefly, chief master sergeant, chief mate, Chief of Naval Operations, Chief of Staff

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use chief justice in a sentence

For Beasley, that means playing up her decades of service as a judge, culminating in her appointment as chief justice in 2019.
North Carolina Democratic voters yearn for a new type of Senate candidate after years of defeats. Now they have two.|Mike DeBonis|July 13, 2021|Washington Post
Even though the information filed to the California attorney general is supposed to remain under wraps, the chief justice noted breaches where it was disclosed.
Supreme Court strikes down Calif. law requiring charities to disclose top donors to attorney general|Robert Barnes|July 1, 2021|Washington Post
It’s just that, I think, as chief justice, Roberts cares more about consistency in the court’s rulings and its image.
What Are The Stakes Of The Supreme Court’s Decision To Hear A Case That Challenges Roe v. Wade?|Sarah Frostenson (sarah.frostenson@abc.com)|May 19, 2021|FiveThirtyEight
A dollar would do, and if the college had paid it, this might have prevented the chief justice of the United States from mistakenly disagreeing with his eight colleagues.
Campus speech rules are hurting students. They deserve recompense — even if it’s just $1.|George Will|March 12, 2021|Washington Post

As chief justice, he can assign who writes the opinion in any case where he’s in the majority.
How A Conservative 6-3 Majority Would Reshape The Supreme Court|Amelia Thomson-DeVeaux (Amelia.Thomson-DeVeaux@abc.com)|September 28, 2020|FiveThirtyEight
The Supreme Court justices who decided the Integrity case make $244,440 a year (Chief Justice Roberts makes $255,500).
How Amazon Became Santa’s Sweatshop|Sally Kohn|December 11, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Thank you, Chief Justice Roberts, et al., for opening the floodgates of political campaign donations.
Up to a Point: Thanks to the Biggest Turkey, Uncle Sam|P. J. O’Rourke|November 27, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Watkins recently wrote to the Supreme Court urging Chief Justice John Roberts to take action against Fuller.
The Ray Rice of Judges May Keep His Job|Tim Mak|September 11, 2014|DAILY BEAST
In the 1960s, billboards in conservative parts of the country urged, “Impeach Earl Warren,” the liberal chief justice.
God Save the United States From This Anti-Democratic Court|Jedediah Purdy|June 22, 2014|DAILY BEAST
The chief justice seemed to be arguing that anything short of hostility or blatant evangelism was kosher.
Six Catholics, Three Jews and Not Much Memory at the Supreme Court|Jonathan Alter|May 10, 2014|DAILY BEAST
John Wilkes released from the tower by the memorable sentence of chief justice Pratt.
The Every Day Book of History and Chronology|Joel Munsell
Daniel Wells, chief justice of the court of common pleas of Massachusetts, died at Cambridge, aged 63.
The Every Day Book of History and Chronology|Joel Munsell
If the road is to be made and opened, as our new Chief Justice promises, it will be one of the most beautiful roads in the world.
The Works of Robert Louis Stevenson - Swanston Edition Vol. 25 (of 25)|Robert Louis Stevenson
On this occasion the lord-chief-justice Denman spoke on the question for the first time.
The History of England in Three Volumes, Vol.III.|E. Farr and E. H. Nolan
This calamity, Mr. Chief Justice, is not confined to the bar or the courts of this Commonwealth.
Select Speeches of Daniel Webster|Daniel Webster

British Dictionary definitions for chief justice

chief justice

noun

(in any of several Commonwealth countries) the judge presiding over a supreme court

(in the US) the presiding judge of a court composed of a number of members

Derived forms of chief justice

chief justiceship, noun

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012