chief justice

noun

: the presiding or principal judge of a court of justice

Examples of chief justice in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web Indeed, Roberts has been in the majority as much or more than any other chief justice in modern court history, from Earl Warren through Warren E. Burger and William H. Rehnquist. Ruth Marcus, Washington Post, 12 July 2024 From the Chevron rule to Trump immunity:How the Supreme Court voted in recent rulings John Roberts, chief justice John Roberts, born in January 1955, was nominated by Republican President George W. Bush as U.S. Supreme Court chief justice in 2005. Sabine Martin, The Arizona Republic, 7 July 2024 Jonathan Dienst Jonathan Dienst is chief justice contributor for NBC News and chief investigative reporter for WNBC-TV in New York. Tom Winter, NBC News, 24 June 2024 In October, the chief justice of the Oklahoma Supreme Court recommended Soderstrom’s removal. Muri Assunção, New York Daily News, 9 Feb. 2024 See all Example Sentences for chief justice 

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'chief justice.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

First Known Use

1534, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of chief justice was in 1534

Dictionary Entries Near chief justice

Cite this Entry

“Chief justice.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/chief%20justice. Accessed 27 Jul. 2024.

Kids Definition

chief justice

noun
: the presiding or principal judge of a court of justice

Legal Definition

chief justice

noun
: a chief judge of a usually higher level court
specifically, often capitalized : the chief justice of the U.S. Supreme Court
chief justiceship noun

More from Merriam-Webster on chief justice

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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