If the chief justice is not in the majority when a case is decided, the responsibility for opinion assignment rests with the:

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

When the Chief Justice's side does not win in a case, it is up to the justice on the winning side who has served the longest on the Supreme Court to assign who writes the majority opinion. If the Chief Justice is in the majority, he assigns who writes the opinion. Deciding who writes an opinion can sometimes be of monumental consequence as the majority opinion becomes the standard by which the rest of the government must follow.

If the Chief Justice Is Not in the Majority When