Journal of Supreme Court History

H ail to the C hief: A B ibliographical E ssay on Six C hief Justices of the U nited States Joh n B . T aylordcbaZYXWVUTSRQPONMLKJIHGFEDCBA A lth o u g h C h ie f Ju stic e s o f th e U n ite d S ta te s te n d to d o w n p la y th e n o tio n th a t th e ir ro le is sig n ific a n tly m o re im p o rta n t th a n th a t o f A sso ­ c ia te Ju stic e s, a n d a lth o u g h th e ir te n u re s d o n o t n e c e ssa rily c o in c id e w ith p e rio d s th a t a re , o n th e b a sis o f o th e r c rite ria , d isc re te e ra s in p o litic a l o r ju d ic ia l h isto ry , o b se rv e rs o f th e S u ­ p re m e C o u rt n e v e rth e le ss c o m m o n ly fo c u s o n C h ie f Ju stic e s a n d d e fin e ju d ic ia l e ra s in te rm s o f th e m . In m a n y c a se s, th a t is fu lly ju stifie d . T h e M a rsh a ll a n d W a rre n C o u rts su re ly e x e m ­ p lify d istin c tiv e a p p ro a c h e s to th e u se o f ju d i­ c ia l p o w e r a n d th e s u b s ta n c e o f ju d ic ia l p o lic y m a k in g . B o th Jo h n M a rsh a ll a n d E a rl W a rre n h a d a m a jo r im p a c t o n th o se d e v e lo p ­ m e n ts, a n d b o th le ft th e C o u rt a s tim e s w e re c h a n g in g . W illia m H o w a rd T a ft jo in e d th e C o u rt a t a tim e o f p o litic a l tra n sitio n a n d h e ftily e m b o d ie d re a sc e n d a n t c o n se rv a tism . H e w a s su c c e e d e d b y C h a rle s E v a n s H u g h e s, w h o s e p e rfo rm a n c e— w h e th e r v ie w e d a s sta te sm a n lik e , v a c illa tin g , o r o b fu sc a to ry— re­ fle c te d th e d o c trin a l sh ifts o f h is tim e . M e lv ille W e sto n F u lle r w a s n o t th e p rim e m o v e r o n h is C o u rt, b u t a fo c u s o n h is te n u re e n c a p su la te s th e rise o f su b sta n tiv e d u e p ro c e ss a...