Is it unusual for a new Supreme Court appointee to be named Chief Justice?

[Poiuyt]

Are they usually promoted from the existing justices? Or is this not unusual?

[bullimiami]

1. one with virtually no judicial experience.

[RockaFowler]

5. Thank You

That is what I have been saying. This man has what 2 years experience on the bench. Give me a break. Here is bush's way of hiding from the victims in the Gulf

[kodi]

14. yeah, like earl warren.

.

[dweller]

2. especially when he's not even a Supreme Court judge

yet?

oh jeez, did i miss something? was he recess appointed? i thought the debate started this week...

dp

[Kenroy]

3. No

the majority of Chief Justices were appointed from outside the court. I think I read 12 were from outside, and 4 were promoted.

[Longhorn]

4. According to news reports last night on NBC

the chief justice was appointed from outside eleven out of 16 times -- so that is actually the more usual way it has happened historically.

[kitkat65]

6. 11 out of 16 from outside the court for Chief Justice but

did those Chiefs have experience as actual judges on the bench? I would think there is a big difference from acting as advocate and sitting as an impartial referee.

[Rhiannon12866]

7. I'm unaware of the history of this, but it sure sounds unusual to me!

Especially to choose a chief whose nomination to the high court is already so mired in controversy. I would think that Bush* would be treading lightly now that he's so heavily under fire, but this just isn't his style. He always assumes that he'll get whatever he wants because he always has...:grr:

[Rex]

8. Is it unusual for the SCOTUS to decide a federal election?

All bets are off! 5 years of mass corruption and you better believe a suit is going to be not only on the SC, but its Chief Justice as well! Scalia must be fuming.

[never_get_over_it]

10. Scalia must be pissed

after all he is the one that issued the stay in the vote recount - bet he thought he was a shoe in for chief justice.

[jjmalonejr]

9. No, it's much more common than a promotion.

[FormerRepublican]

11. Bush wants him to preside over his impeachment hearings.

[Zynx]

12. It's unusual for the Chief Justice to NOT be an outsider.

[ruggerson]

13. Most of them have not been sitting members

And many of them have not even been judges, so they have had less actual judicial experience than Roberts.

[carpetbagger]

15. No. In fact, many are off-the-shelf politicians...

Warren, Vinson, Chase, Taft, Taney, maybe more that I can't remember. Of course, I'm excluding the early justices.