Competence
The Chief Justice is often responsible for serving as the leader during private deliberations and is often first to voice their opinion. However, most supreme courts are non-hierarchical, meaning the Chief Justice does not necessarily have direct control over the actions of the other judges, and their personal ruling is equal in weight to the rulings of any associate judges on the court.
In several countries, the Chief Justice is second in line to the office of President or Governor General (or third in line, if there is a Vice President or Lieutenant Governor General), should the incumbent die or resign. For example, if the Governor General of Canada is unable to perform his or her duties, the Chief Justice of Canada performs the duties of the Governor General.
Apart from their intrinsic role in litigation, they may have additional responsibilities, such as "swearing in" high officers of state; for instance, the Chief Justice of the United States traditionally administers the oath of office at the inauguration ceremony of the President of the United States, as does the Chief Justice of South Africa at the inauguration of the President of South Africa.
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Famous quotes containing the word competence:
“Mothers seem to be in subtle competition with teachers. There is always an underlying fear that teachers will do a better job than they have done with their child.... But mostly mothers feel that their areas of competence are very much similar to those of the teacher. In fact they feel they know their child better than anyone else and that the teacher doesn’t possess any special field of authority or expertise.”
—Sara Lawrence Lightfoot (20th century)
“Love and work are viewed and experienced as totally separate activities motivated by separate needs. Yet, when we think about it, our common sense tells us that our most inspired, creative acts are deeply tied to our need to love and that, when we lack love, we find it difficult to work creatively; that work without love is dead, mechanical, sheer competence without vitality, that love without work grows boring, monotonous, lacks depth and passion.”
—Marta Zahaykevich, Ucranian born-U.S. psychitrist. “Critical Perspectives on Adult Women’s Development,” (1980)
“Witness the American ideal: the Self-Made Man. But there is no such person. If we can stand on our own two feet, it is because others have raised us up. If, as adults, we can lay claim to competence and compassion, it only means that other human beings have been willing and enabled to commit their competence and compassion to us—through infancy, childhood, and adolescence, right up to this very moment.”
—Urie Bronfenbrenner (20th century)