The position of Chief Justice of the United States is an enigmatic one. The Chief Justice is the titular head of the highest court in the land, the leader of the institution empowered to say what the law is, even when doing so invalidates the actions of its coordinate branches. Unlike the heads of the other branches or departments, however, the Chief Justice retains relatively little power or responsibility that is not shared by the other members of the Court. Beyond presiding over the Court’s conferences, assigning opinions, and performing administrative and ceremonial duties, the Chief Justice’s core judicial functions are largely indistinguishable from those of the Associate Justices. Nevertheless, close observers of the Court use the identity of the presiding Chief Justice to delineate specific eras and trends in the Court’s history. The Roberts Court is no exception.