Who is Chief Justice John Roberts and is he swearing-in Joe Biden?
JOHN Roberts is the 17th and current Chief Justice of the United States Supreme Court.
He has held the position since September 2005 and presided over the first impeachment trial of Donald Trump in early 2020.
Who is Chief Justice John Roberts?
John Roberts Jr was born in Buffalo, New York on January 27 1955.
He studied history at Harvard College before attending Harvard Law School.
He served as a law clerk for circuit judge Henry Friendly and then-associate justice for William Rehnquist.
He took a position in the attorney general’s office during the Reagan Administration.
He went on to serve in the Reagan Administration and the George H.W. Bush Administration in the Department of Justice and Office of the White House Counsel.
In 2005, Roberts was nominated to be an associate justice of the Supreme Court – initially to succeed the retiring Sandra Day O’Connor.
President George W Bush nominated Roberts for the position of Chief Justice following the death of William Rehnquist.
Chief Justice Roberts married wife Jane Sullivan in 1996 and the couple have two children.
Will the Chief Justice swear-in Joe Biden at his inauguration trial?
The chief justice is not mandated by the constitution to preside over the Presidential Oath of Office.
But, it’s convention that they do.
When Roberts leads Joe Biden in the oath, it will be the fourth time that the chief justice will stand across from someone who either voted against his confirmation to the Supreme Court or has made no secret of their views of him.
Biden was one of 22 senators who voted against Roberts in 2005.
Former president Barack Obama also voted against Roberts’ nomination.
Will he preside over Donald Trump’s impeachment trial?
Article One, Section 3, Clause 6 of the US constitution states that the chief justice will preside over impeachment trials of the president.
Chief Justice Roberts presided over the first Trump impeachment trial in 2020 and it’s possible he will preside over the second.
But, Justice Roberts may not have to preside over the second Trump impeachment trial as it will occur when the 45th President will no longer be in office.
In this case, Kamala Harris would be next in line to preside over the trial.
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What are his Chief Justice duties?
The chief justice is head of the federal judiciary.
Article Three Section 1 of the Constitution states that they “shall hold their offices during good Behavior”.
Their appointments are effectively for life and should only end when the justice dies, resigns, or is impeached.
It’s tradition that the chief justice will administer the presidential oath.
The chief justice serves as head of the Judicial Conference of the United States – the chief administrative body of federal courts.
Justice Roberts will appoint federal judges to the membership of the US Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court.
The chief justice also serves as spokesperson for the federal government’s judicial branch.