Normally an associate justice isn’t elevated to CJ when the sitting Chief dies or retires because then you’d have to go through two confirmations instead of one, and for no reason anyway. As I understand it, the CJ doesn’t have much influence over and above any of the associates.
Thanks. That makes perfect sense. Of course, being inquisitive, now you've got me wondering how "normal" that is. I broke my fibula today and will be laid up awhile, so perhaps I'll research it. Should be easy enough: just see how many CJs were promoted. If I actually do it, I'll send you the result.
Excluding the first CJ, Jay, who had no opportunity to serve previously as AJ, and excluding several who served only as Acting CJ, there have been sixteen full Chief Justices, of whom only five (Rutledge/White/Stone/Hughes/Rehnquist) had been AJs.
Touch 'em all!