The World's 50 Greatest Leaders

Rank
21
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John Roberts

U.S. Supreme Court Justices arrive in House chamber prior to President Obama's State of the Union address to a joint session of Congress in Washington
U.S. Supreme Court Justices, including Chief Justice John Roberts (L), arrive in the House chamber prior to U.S. President Barack Obama's final State of the Union address to a joint session of Congress in Washington January 12, 2016. REUTERS/Evan Vucci/Pool - RTX224MYReuters
  • Title
    Chief Justice
  • Affiliation
    U.S. Supreme Court

Roberts spent much of the past year as a leader in limbo: The Senate’s refusal to consider President Obama’s nominee to replace the late Antonin ­Scalia left the Supreme Court with a 4-to-4 ideological deadlock in several cases. But Roberts earned plaudits for keeping things humming relatively smoothly. And court watchers say it’s telling that President Trump’s first high-court nominee, Neil Gorsuch, is very much in the Roberts mold: a conservative with the intellectual and diplomatic skill to forge centrist consensus as needed.