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 Opinion: Arizona's new Supreme Court chief justice has an ambitious plan to improve public perception of courts. Joanna Allhands, The Arizona Republic, 2 July 2024 The William Howard Taft National Historic Site is the birthplace and boyhood home of the 27th president and the 10th chief justice of the U.S. Supreme Court. Steve Chapman, Chicago Tribune, 26 June 2024 The chief justice hated Trump appeals court decision, and other takeaways April 25, 2024 Highlights from Supreme Court arguments over Trump’s immunity claim April 25, 2024 Subscribe to comment and get the full experience. Perry Stein, Washington Post, 16 June 2024 The Kentucky Supreme Court's chief justice ruled Monday incumbent state Rep. Nima Kulkarni, a Louisville Democrat, is eligible to be on the ballot for Tuesday's primary, a reversal of an opinion from a lower court. Leo Bertucci, The Courier-Journal, 21 May 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 8 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

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