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 The Kentucky Supreme Court's chief justice ruled Monday incumbent state Rep. Nima Kulkarni, a Louisville Democrat, is eligible to be on the ballot for Tuesday's primary, a reversal of an opinion from a lower court. Leo Bertucci, The Courier-Journal, 20 May 2024 Cheri Beasley, a former state chief justice in North Carolina, was given only a trickle of party money in her campaign for Senate in 2022. Jonathan Weisman, New York Times, 16 May 2024 See all Example Sentences for chief justice 

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'chief justice.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

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 1 Jun. 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

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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