The Chief Justice of the United States is the head of the Judicial Branch of the government of the United States, and presides over the Supreme Court of the United States. The office is often, and incorrectly, referred to as Chief Justice of the Supreme Court. The Supreme Court is composed of nine members, though that number has varied over the years, headed by the Chief Justice. The Chief Justice, like all the other justices, is nominated by the President and confirmed to sit on the court by the U.S. Senate. Some justices, like William H. Rehnquist, were elevated to the highest post on the court by the President after having served previously on the bench as associate justice. Others, like William Howard Taft, were nominated to the highest bench without any previous experience on the court.
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2 List of Chief Justices 3 Related articles |
In addition to the duties of the Associate Justices, the Chief Justice has the following duties:
Duties
List of Chief Justices
No. | Chief Justice | Years of Service | Appointed by President |
---|---|---|---|
1 | John Jay | 1789-1795 | George Washington |
2 | John Rutledge | 1795 | George Washington |
3 | Oliver Ellsworth | 1796-1800 | George Washington |
4 | John Marshall | 1801-1835 | John Adams |
5 | Roger Taney | 1836-1864 | Andrew Jackson |
6 | Salmon P. Chase | 1864-1873 | Abraham Lincoln |
7 | Morrison Waite | 1874-1888 | Ulysses S. Grant |
8 | Melville Fuller | 1888-1910 | Grover Cleveland |
9 | Edward Douglass White† | 1910-1921 | William Howard Taft |
10 | William Howard Taft | 1921-1930 | Warren G. Harding |
11 | Charles Evans Hughes | 1930-1941 | Herbert Hoover |
12 | Harlan Stone† | 1941-1946 | Franklin Delano Roosevelt |
13 | Fred Vinson | 1946-1953 | Harry S. Truman |
14 | Earl Warren | 1953-1969 | Dwight D. Eisenhower |
15 | Warren E. Burger | 1969-1986 | Richard Nixon |
16 | William Rehnquist† | 1986-present | Ronald Reagan |
- † Denotes elevation from associate justice.