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
These examples are automatically compiled from online sources to illustrate current usage. Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Ethically, the idea of pressuring a sitting chief justice to retire could raise serious questions. David Faris, Newsweek, 4 Nov. 2024 The chief justice of the Colorado Supreme Court is being targeted this election for her ruling that temporarily removed former President Trump from the 2024 ballot. John Frank, Axios, 4 Nov. 2024 They are appointed by several authorities, including legislators from both sides of the aisle, our state’s chief justice, and the governor. Dp Opinion, The Denver Post, 30 Oct. 2024 Thus, in 1986, Reagan promoted Rehnquist to be chief justice and added Scalia, whose experiences had shaped his belief in vast presidential authority, to the Court. Duncan Hosie / Made By History, TIME, 18 Sep. 2024 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

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 15 Nov. 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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