[shanover]

WTF was that a-hole Roberts ever made Chief Justice? It seems odd that a chief would not be one with seniority of the majority of the court but I guess that is to simple minded.

[laplata]

I agree

[Dr. Franklin]

WTF was that a-hole Roberts ever made Chief Justice? It seems odd that a chief would not be one with seniority of the majority of the court but I guess that is to simple minded.

By tradition, the Chief Justice is nominated specifically to that job by POTUS. The argument could be made that SCOTUS should determine who the CJ is as an internal matter. The powers of the CJ relative to the other justices aren't great, and are determined mostly by the court itself, i.e., assigning opinions when in the majority in a way not even contemplated by the founders. The practice of majority and minority opinions came from John Marshall and was not the British practice. The one power of the CJ listed in the Constitution is to preside over presidential impeachments. Certain statutes also refer to the CJ, with regard to assigning senior judges or promulgating rules of procedure. That's about all I can think of without researching it further.