chief justice

The chief justice is the principal judge of a court. In the United States, the chief justice presides over the Supreme Court and is the nation's highest judicial officer. Appointed by the president with Senate consent, the chief justice has life tenure. Their duties include presiding over court sessions, assigning opinion writing when in the majority, and administering the oath of office to the president and vice president. The chief justice also heads the Judicial Conference of the United States, overseeing the administration of justice in federal courts. In other contexts, "chief justice" can refer to the presiding judge of any multi-judge court or the highest judicial officer within a U.S. state. For example, the United Kingdom has a lord chief justice who heads the judiciary of England and Wales.123