Here’s a detailed look at the Chief Justice of the United States / Chief Justice of the Supreme Court (as of Nov 2025): who holds the post, what powers it has, and how it functions.
Who is the Chief Justice now
- The current Chief Justice is John G. Roberts, Jr. (Wikipedia)
- He first became Chief Justice on September 29, 2005, appointed by President George W. Bush. (Wikipedia)
Key Powers & Responsibilities
The Chief Justice is the highest judicial officer in the U.S., and though the role has some limits, it carries a lot of influence. Here are the main powers, formal duties, and customary authorities:
| Function / Power | Description |
|---|---|
| Presiding over the Supreme Court | The Chief Justice presides over oral arguments, leads the private conferences where justices decide which cases to accept, how to vote, and how opinions are assigned. (Encyclopedia Britannica) |
| Opinion Assignment | When in the majority, the Chief Justice assigns who writes the Court’s majority opinion. This allows shaping how the decision is presented, how broad or narrow it is. When not in the majority, that power shifts to the most senior justice in the majority. (American Civil Liberties Union) |
| Judicial & Administrative Leadership | Beyond deciding cases, the Chief Justice administers and oversees much of the federal judicial system: chairs the Judicial Conference of the United States (which handles policy and administration for federal courts), supervises the Administrative Office of the U.S. Courts, and oversees the Federal Judicial Center (education/research for judiciary). (Supreme Court Historical Society) |
| Prescribing Court Procedures and Rules | The Chief has influence over the internal procedures of the Supreme Court (case‑selection rules, internal deliberations, opinion publication) and has statutory duties connected with managing Court premises, security, rules of the building, etc. (Supreme Court Historical Society) |
| Impeachment Trials | The Constitution gives the Chief Justice the duty to preside over the U.S. Senate in the impeachment trial of a President. (Legal Information Institute) |
| Administering Oaths | Traditionally, the Chief Justice administers the oath of office to the President (and sometimes Vice President). (Encyclopedia Britannica) |
Limitations / What the Chief Justice Does Not Do
It’s also important to understand what the Chief Justice cannot do or doesn’t have authority over:
- The Chief Justice has only one vote among the nine justices — same as other justices. He cannot unilaterally decide cases. (Encyclopedia Britannica)
- The Chief Justice cannot force other justices to vote with him. His influence comes through persuasion, opinion assignment, institutional leadership.
- The Constitution or statutes do not give the Chief Justice broad executive or legislative powers — his authority comes from judicial functions and administrative responsibilities.
- In impeachment trials (of a President), while the Chief presides, the Senate sets rules, the Senate performs the trial, and the Chief does not have the power to convict or dismiss — that’s up to the Senate. (American Civil Liberties Union)