- The Chief Justice is considered to have the most seniority on the court, even though the other justices may have served more time on the court. The Chief Justice always casts the first vote after the justices have deliberated on a case. If the Chief Justice's vote coincides with the majority vote, he may choose to write the opinion or he may assign another justice to write it. Even though the Chief Justice votes first, his vote does not carry any more weight than any other justice.
- The Chief Justice sits as the judge in any impeachment trial of a U.S. President. Only two U.S. Presidents have ever been impeached: Andrew Johnson in 1868 and Bill Clinton in 1998. Neither president was removed from office.
- The Chief Justice presides over presidential inaugurations and swears in the president with the oath of office. The Chief Justice sits as the Chancellor of the Smithsonian Institution and also sits on the boards of the Library of Congress, the National Gallery of Art and the Hirshorn Museum. In addition, the Chief Justice is the head of the Judicial Conference of the United States.
- The Chief Justice writes an annual report to Congress about the current state of affairs within the federal court system. The report includes whether or not the federal courts are sound, information about the workload of the federal judiciary, and what types of cases the federal courts are deciding. The report also usually includes a request for cost-of-living salary adjustments for all federal judges. The Chief Justice's salary for 2010 is $223,500, while an Associate Justice makes $213,900.