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Extra!: Chief Justice's Duties

• CNN Student News Extra!: Supreme Court

SPECIAL REPORT

CNN STUDENT NEWS

(CNN Student News) -- Use this Extra! to introduce students to the unique responsibilities of the chief justice of the United States.

The duties of the chief justice of the United States are not elaborated in the Constitution; instead, they have been devised and clarified over the years by Congress and the federal judiciary.

The chief justice's vote carries the same weight as those of eight associate justices. If the chief justice sides with the majority opinion on a case, he or she can personally write the opinion or assign it to another justice.

Court duties of the chief justice:

Leads oral arguments from the center chair on the bench

Leads closed-door conferences where votes are cast on pending appeals and cases heard in oral argument

Can help move the court toward a certain ideology through personal leadership and coalition-building (Legal scholars note that Chief Justice Earl Warren helped move the court to the left; William Rehnquist helped move it to the right.)

Administrative duties:

Oversees administrative duties of the Supreme Court, including scheduling cases and setting deadlines for appeals and opinions

Heads the Judicial Conference, the chief administrative body of federal courts; sets rules over civil procedure and evidence; handles budgets, security and staffing

Serves as chief advocate and spokesperson over legislation affecting federal courts

Names judges to serve on various administrative and judicial panels

Issues a year-end report on the federal judiciary that sets priorities and highlights accomplishments and problems in federal courts

Special duties:

Presides over presidential impeachment hearings in the Senate

Traditionally presides over presidential inaugurations

Serves as chancellor of the Smithsonian Institution

Source: CNN

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