Chief Justice is Chancellor of Smithsonian?

[Elendil_s_Heir]

Among other duties, the Chief Justice of the United States (not “of the Supreme Court,” as is so often - and erroneously - stated) is also Chancellor of the Smithsonian Institution. Anybody know what duties that entails? Attendance at the annual board meeting? Ribbon cutting? Just a name on the magazine masthead and a line on his resume?

[Colibri]

It’s mainly ceremonial. While the CJ is ex officio a member of the SI Board of Regents, his position as Chancellor is traditional rather than required. The Vice President is also ex officio a member of the Smithsonian Board. Gore took a significant interest in the Smithsonian; I don’t believe that Cheny does.

From here

Specifically, Section 3 of the Smithsonian’s charter act dictates that the board of regents be “composed of the Vice-President of the United States, the Chief Justice of the United States, and the Mayor of the City of Washington… three members of the Senate, and three members of the House of Representatives; together with six other persons, other than members of Congress, two of whom shall be members of the national institute in the City of Washington, and resident in the said city; and the other four thereof shall be inhabitants of States, and no two of them of the same State.”

The act also required that the board elect a chancellor to lead the group and a secretary to back the chancellor. Tradition has dictated that the board always elects the chief justice as chancellor.

However, since the chief justice tends to have a full schedule of previous commitments, the post of Smithsonian chancellor has largely been a ceremonial one. As such, the secretary of the Smithsonian is effectively the highest ranking post at the institution, a position held by one of the two “members of the national institute”—meaning scientists, rather than any of the various political appointees on the board.