Chief Justice of the United States

presiding judge of the United States Supreme Court

The Chief Justice of the United States is the senior judge of the Supreme Court of the United States.

They have no more powers than any of the other judges of the Supreme Court, who are called Associate Justices. The Chief Justice is responsible for organizing the Court's schedules and administration.

By tradition, the Chief Justice administers the oath of office to the President of the United States. The only time this has not happened is when Calvin Coolidge became president.

List of chief justices

Chief JusticeDate confirmed
(Vote)
Tenure[a]Tenure lengthAppointed byPrior position[b]
1 John Jay
(1745–1829)
September 26, 1789
(Acclamation)
October 19, 1789

June 29, 1795
(resigned)
5 years, 253 daysGeorge WashingtonActing
United States Secretary of State
(1789–1790)
2 John Rutledge
(1739–1800)
December 15, 1795
(10–14)[c]
August 12, 1795[d]

December 28, 1795
(resigned, nomination having been rejected)
138 daysChief Justice of the
South Carolina Court of
Common Pleas and Sessions
(1791–1795)
Associate Justice
of the Supreme Court

(1789–1791)
3 Oliver Ellsworth
(1745–1807)
March 4, 1796
(21–1)
March 8, 1796

December 15, 1800
(resigned)
4 years, 282 daysUnited States Senator
from Connecticut
(1789–1796)
4 John Marshall
(1755–1835)
January 27, 1801
(acclamation)
February 4, 1801

July 6, 1835
(died)
34 years, 152 daysJohn Adams4th
United States Secretary of State
(1800–1801)
5 Roger B. Taney
(1777–1864)
March 15, 1836
(29–15)
March 28, 1836

October 12, 1864
(died)
28 years, 198 daysAndrew Jackson12th
United States Secretary
of the Treasury

(1833–1834)
6 Salmon P. Chase
(1808–1873)
December 6, 1864
(acclamation)
December 15, 1864

May 7, 1873
(died)
8 years, 143 daysAbraham Lincoln25th
United States Secretary
of the Treasury

(1861–1864)
7 Morrison Waite
(1816–1888)
January 21, 1874
(63–0)
March 4, 1874

March 23, 1888
(died)
14 years, 19 daysUlysses S. GrantOhio State Senator
(1849–1850)
Presiding officer,
Ohio constitutional convention
(1873)
8 Melville Fuller
(1833–1910)
July 20, 1888
(41–20)
October 8, 1888

July 4, 1910
(died)
21 years, 269 daysGrover ClevelandPresident,
Illinois State Bar Association
(1886)
Illinois State Representative
(1863–1865)
9 Edward Douglass White
(1845–1921)
December 12, 1910[e]
(acclamation)
December 19, 1910

May 19, 1921
(died)
10 years, 151 daysWilliam Howard TaftAssociate Justice
of the Supreme Court

(1894–1910)
10 William Howard Taft
(1857–1930)
June 30, 1921
(acclamation)
July 11, 1921

February 3, 1930
(retired)
8 years, 207 daysWarren G. Harding27th
President of the United States
(1909–1913)
11 Charles Evans Hughes
(1862–1948)
February 13, 1930
(52–26)
February 24, 1930

June 30, 1941
(retired)
11 years, 126 daysHerbert Hoover44th
United States Secretary of State
(1921–1925)
Associate Justice
of the Supreme Court

(1910–1916)
12 Harlan F. Stone
(1872–1946)
June 27, 1941[e]
(acclamation)
July 3, 1941

April 22, 1946
(died)
4 years, 293 daysFranklin D. RooseveltAssociate Justice
of the Supreme Court

(1925–1941)
13 Fred M. Vinson
(1890–1953)
June 20, 1946
(acclamation)
June 24, 1946

September 8, 1953
(died)
7 years, 76 daysHarry S. Truman53rd
United States Secretary
of the Treasury

(1945–1946)
14 Earl Warren
(1891–1974)
March 1, 1954
(acclamation)
October 5, 1953[d]

June 23, 1969
(retired)
15 years, 261 daysDwight D. Eisenhower30th
Governor of California
(1943–1953)
15 Warren E. Burger
(1907–1995)
June 9, 1969
(74–3)
June 23, 1969

September 26, 1986
(retired)
17 years, 95 daysRichard NixonJudge of the
United States Court of Appeals
for the District of Columbia Circuit

(1956–1969)
16 William Rehnquist
(1924–2005)
September 17, 1986[e]
(65–33)
September 26, 1986

September 3, 2005
(died)
18 years, 342 daysRonald ReaganAssociate Justice
of the Supreme Court

(1972–1986)
17 John Roberts
(born 1955)
September 29, 2005
(78–22)
September 29, 2005

Incumbent
18 years, 207 daysGeorge W. BushJudge of the
United States Court of Appeals
for the District of Columbia Circuit

(2003–2005)

Notes