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chief justice

chief justice

35 6.3
The top judge who leads a country's highest court
  • noun
  • /tʃif ˈdʒʌstɪs/
translation icon : presidente del Tribunal Supremo
  • So I was not going to remind the Chief Justice of the United States that I won the bet.
  • Supreme Court chief justice
  • state chief justice

Their father was the Chief Justice of the state Supreme Court.

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Examples

  • In 1887, he was appointed chief justice of the Supreme Court of Georgia.

    Academic text (2007)
  • In this issue, Rebecca Davis presents an interview-based profile of Leah Ward Sears, the former chief justice of the Georgia Supreme Court.

    Academic text (2011)
  • The chief justice set the trial date for four weeks from today.

  • Their father was the Chief Justice of the state Supreme Court.

  • On August 12, the chief justice announced the verdict.

    Fiction book (2001)
  • Taft later became Chief Justice of the United States.

  • What's your reaction to the chief justice's statement?

  • John G. Roberts Jr., the new chief justice, brought with him the perspectives and insights of a new generation.

    Academic text (2010)
  • When Earl Warren retired as chief justice in 1969, many expected a change in the Supreme Court's direction and style.

    Academic text (1995)
  • The chief justice presided over the most important cases in the country.

Antonyms

5.4

Having a lower rank with fewer rights than full members

How Senior

chief justice
35 6.3
senior status
  • Formal
1 4.9
judgeship
  • Formal
9 7.4
junior-grade
1 4.1

Surface Forms

chief justice singular

Morphology

chief + justice

The meaning is directly compositional: 'chief' (primary/principal) modifies 'justice' (a judge on a high court), yielding the principal or presiding judge. This head-adjective + noun pattern is common cross-linguistically, so a B1 learner who knows both constituent senses will readily infer the MWE meaning.

Etymology

Chief justice comes from two simple words: chief meaning 'leader' and justice meaning 'law' or the work of judges. In courts the chief leads the other judges and makes the final decisions, so chief justice means the head judge of the highest court.