# Presidential power to select the Chief Justice for life - where is this defined?

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/presidential-power-to-select-the-chief-justice-for-life-where-is-this-defined/712125>\
**Category:** Factual Questions\
**Created:** [February 8, 2015, 3:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/presidential-power-to-select-the-chief-justice-for-life-where-is-this-defined/712125 "2015-02-08T15:40:22Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 1\
**Page:** 3

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**Author:** ![handsomeharry](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/e9c0ed/32.png) [@handsomeharry](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/handsomeharry)\
**Post date:** [February 12, 2015, 10:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/presidential-power-to-select-the-chief-justice-for-life-where-is-this-defined/712125/41 "2015-02-12T22:42:18Z")

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> [@Little\_Nemo](#):
>
> If you have a line of argument, feel free to post it.

Better than that, I’ll explain my witticism:

1. The Court can use any kind of reasoning to change the law that it chooses; a jar of Skippy peanut butter can serve for their basis on deciding case law if they so choose. Anybody, especially attorneys/judges, can make any interpolation/extrapolation on previous law to say that up is down, or down is up, and if anybody questions them, TS.  
They are omnipotent-they answer to no one, when they decide a case.
2. You questioned what rationale they ‘needed’ to use (my word).
3. My heart was touched that you thought that they needed a Constitutional reason to decide law.
4. Much laughter, and my comment ensued.

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