The presiding or principal judge of a court; usually has some nominal authority over the other judges.
Presiding justice of the Arizona Supreme Court.
Presiding justice of the Supreme Court and the administrative head of the state Court of Justice who is responsible for its management and operation. A Chief Justice is elected every four years from among members of the state Supreme Court.
The Chief Justice in many countries is the name for the presiding member of a Supreme Court in Commonwealth or other countries with an Anglo-Saxon justice system based on English common law, such as the Supreme Court of the United States, the Supreme Court of Palau, the Supreme Court of Canada, the Supreme Court of New Zealand, the Supreme Court of Justice of the Nation (Mexico), or provincial or state supreme courts. In England and Wales and Northern Ireland, the equivalent position is the Lord Chief Justice and in Scotland the equivalent is the Lord President of the Court of Session.
The Chief Justice is Fiji's highest judicial officer. He or she is appointed by the President on the advice of the Prime Minister, who is required by the Constitution to consult the Leader of the Opposition. This does not give the Leader of the Opposition a veto, only the right to be consulted.