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
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
The chief justice should create and enforce a new norm for the court: if lower court decisions are going to be reversed in important cases, the justices should say why. Noah Feldman, Twin Cities, 16 July 2025 The chief justice oversees the state’s court system and has broad powers over administrative matters. Mary Spicuzza, jsonline.com, 8 July 2025 The Taft house, located at 2038 Auburn Ave. in Mount Auburn, is the birthplace and boyhood home of the man who served as the nation's 27th president and 10th U.S. Supreme Court chief justice. Patricia Gallagher Newberry, The Enquirer, 2 July 2025 Within weeks of the conclusion of the assault, which became known as the Yom Kippur War, a state commission of inquiry, led by the then chief justice of Israel’s Supreme Court, Shimon Agranat, questioned witnesses about the miscalculations and oversights that led to the crisis. David Remnick, New Yorker, 22 June 2025 See All Example Sentences for chief justice

Word History

First Known Use

1534, in the meaning defined above

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

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Cite this Entry

“Chief justice.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/chief%20justice. Accessed 25 Jul. 2025.

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

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