Who Is the Chief Justice of the United States Now? Civics Question 57

This answer changes, so look it up at uscis.gov/citizenship/testupdates before your interview.

Question 57 asks who the Chief Justice of the United States is now. It is one of eight questions on the official list with no fixed answer, because the person holding the office can change. USCIS publishes the current name on its test updates page. Check that page close to your interview date and learn the name you find there.

What the Chief Justice Does

The Chief Justice leads the Supreme Court and holds one of its nine seats. That seat votes like any other, so the Chief Justice cannot decide a case alone.

The title is Chief Justice of the United States, not Chief Justice of the Supreme Court. The other eight are called associate justices.

The Constitution gives the office one duty outside the Court: when the Senate holds an impeachment trial of the President, the Chief Justice presides over it.

Why This Answer Changes

Justices serve for life, so the office changes hands rarely. Rarely is not never, and a study guide printed a few years ago can be wrong by the time you read it.

That is why USCIS keeps a page for the answers that move. The agency updates it when an officeholder changes, and the officer at your interview is working from the current answer, not from an old book.

Where to Find Today’s Answer

Go to uscis.gov/citizenship/testupdates. The page lists the current answers for the officeholder questions, including this one.

Check it a few days before your interview, not months before. Write the name down and say it out loud until the pronunciation is comfortable.

How to Remember a Question That Changes

Treat this one as a habit instead of a fact. The other 120 questions reward memorizing. This one rewards checking.

Build the check into your preparation the same way you would pack your documents: one page, one visit, close to the date. Questions 30, 38, 39 and 57 all live on that same page, so a single visit covers all four.

What to Say on Test Day

Say the name you found on the USCIS page. Just the name.

You do not need to add the title, say how long the person has served, or explain how they were appointed. The officer is listening for one name.