# What kind of judicial robe did Chief Justice Roberts? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [October 4, 2005, 1:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-kind-of-judicial-robe-did-chief-justice-roberts/324675 "2005-10-04T01:00:50Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 15\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![alphaboi867](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/alphaboi867/32/3898_2.png) [@alphaboi867](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/alphaboi867)\ **Post date:** [October 4, 2005, 1:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-kind-of-judicial-robe-did-chief-justice-roberts/324675/1 "2005-10-04T01:00:50Z")
Now that he’s presided over his first session of the Supreme Court, did John Roberts wear the standred judicial robe or did he keep Renquist’s gold strips? ---
**Author:** ![Fear\_Itself](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fear_itself/32/19637_2.png) [@Fear\_Itself](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fear_Itself)\ **Post date:** [October 4, 2005, 3:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-kind-of-judicial-robe-did-chief-justice-roberts/324675/2 "2005-10-04T03:32:20Z")
[Nope, he eschewed the imperial robe](http://www.guardian.co.uk/uslatest/story/0,1282,-5319047,00.html): > [@](#): > > It was a younger and more robust version of his mentor, the late William H. Rehnquist, who died last month of cancer at age 80 after 33 years on the high court, including 19 as chief justice. > > But unlike his predecessor, who had adorned each sleeve of his robe with a set of four gold stripes after being inspired by a costume in a comic opera, Roberts wore a plain black judicial robe. ---
**Author:** ![friedo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/8edcca/32.png) [@friedo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/friedo)\ **Post date:** [October 4, 2005, 4:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-kind-of-judicial-robe-did-chief-justice-roberts/324675/3 "2005-10-04T04:29:17Z")
It should be noted that while Rehnquist was elevated to CJ in 1986, he didn’t debut his fabulous striped robe until 1994. ---
**Author:** ![Marley23](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/45deac/32.png) [@Marley23](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Marley23)\ **Post date:** [October 4, 2005, 4:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-kind-of-judicial-robe-did-chief-justice-roberts/324675/4 "2005-10-04T04:47:16Z")
Dropping the stripes seems much more in line with Roberts’s personality, but they were so silly that I was hoping he’d keep them as a tribute to Rehnquist. ---
**Author:** ![Bearflag70](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/8e7dd6/32.png) [@Bearflag70](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bearflag70)\ **Post date:** [October 4, 2005, 5:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-kind-of-judicial-robe-did-chief-justice-roberts/324675/5 "2005-10-04T05:12:16Z")
He should have 6 stripes on each sleeve just to show who’s REALLY in charge ---
**Author:** ![RickJay](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/bb73d2/32.png) [@RickJay](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RickJay)\ **Post date:** [October 4, 2005, 12:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-kind-of-judicial-robe-did-chief-justice-roberts/324675/6 "2005-10-04T12:30:21Z")
> [@Bearflag70](#): > > He should have 6 stripes on each sleeve just to show who’s REALLY in charge Then you’d set off a stripe war. Soon the Justices would be tattooing stripes on themselves in an effort to outstripe each other. ---
**Author:** ![Bytegeist](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/9dc877/32.png) [@Bytegeist](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bytegeist)\ **Post date:** [October 4, 2005, 1:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-kind-of-judicial-robe-did-chief-justice-roberts/324675/7 "2005-10-04T13:57:38Z")
> [@RickJay](#): > > Then you’d set off a stripe war. Soon the Justices would be tattooing stripes on themselves in an effort to outstripe each other. Sounds like we need Dr. Seuss to come read us a story on the matter. (I’m thinking of the “Sneeches”, of course.) ---
**Author:** ![alphaboi867](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/alphaboi867/32/3898_2.png) [@alphaboi867](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/alphaboi867)\ **Post date:** [October 5, 2005, 12:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-kind-of-judicial-robe-did-chief-justice-roberts/324675/8 "2005-10-05T00:55:42Z")
> [@RickJay](#): > > Then you’d set off a stripe war. Soon the Justices would be tattooing stripes on themselves in an effort to outstripe each other. Or better yet he could really dress like the Lord Chancellor of England. ---
**Author:** ![Carnac\_the\_Magnificent](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/ccd318/32.png) [@Carnac\_the\_Magnificent](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Carnac_the_Magnificent)\ **Post date:** [October 5, 2005, 1:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-kind-of-judicial-robe-did-chief-justice-roberts/324675/9 "2005-10-05T01:15:12Z")
> [@RickJay](#): > > Then you’d set off a stripe war. Soon the Justices would be tattooing stripes on themselves in an effort to outstripe each other. … which would inevitably spark a stripe gap, pitting against each other justices of the left and right. ---
**Author:** ![DaveRaver](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/daveraver/32/1078_2.png) [@DaveRaver](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DaveRaver)\ **Post date:** [October 5, 2005, 1:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-kind-of-judicial-robe-did-chief-justice-roberts/324675/10 "2005-10-05T01:21:21Z")
Those stripes were inspired by a judge character in a Gilbert and Sullivan musical (I forget which). ---
**Author:** ![Saint\_Cad](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/saint_cad/32/18907_2.png) [@Saint\_Cad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Saint_Cad)\ **Post date:** [October 5, 2005, 1:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-kind-of-judicial-robe-did-chief-justice-roberts/324675/11 "2005-10-05T01:31:59Z")
> [@DaveRaver](#): > > Those stripes were inspired by a judge character in a Gilbert and Sullivan musical (I forget which). Trial by Jury I know that the Justices sit according to senority, but what about stripes by senority. The most junior gets 1 stripe, next senior - 2 stripes, etc. The CJ could a one thick solid stripe like an Admiral. ---
**Author:** ![Marley23](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/45deac/32.png) [@Marley23](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Marley23)\ **Post date:** [October 5, 2005, 2:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-kind-of-judicial-robe-did-chief-justice-roberts/324675/12 "2005-10-05T02:17:44Z")
> [@SaintCad](#): > > I know that the Justices sit according to senority, but what about stripes by senority. The most junior gets 1 stripe, next senior - 2 stripes, etc. The CJ could a one thick solid stripe like an Admiral. Maybe he should just have a gold robe, then. The CJ is now the one with the least seniority, although that’ll only last a few more weeks. ---
**Author:** ![Saint\_Cad](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/saint_cad/32/18907_2.png) [@Saint\_Cad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Saint_Cad)\ **Post date:** [October 5, 2005, 2:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-kind-of-judicial-robe-did-chief-justice-roberts/324675/13 "2005-10-05T02:22:22Z")
> [@Marley23](#): > > The CJ is now the one with the least seniority, although that’ll only last a few more weeks. Legally the Chief Justice of the United States has the most seniority on the SCOTUS since he is the head of the judicial branch. The others are merely Associate Justices of the Supreme Court. ---
**Author:** ![Marley23](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/45deac/32.png) [@Marley23](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Marley23)\ **Post date:** [October 5, 2005, 2:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-kind-of-judicial-robe-did-chief-justice-roberts/324675/14 "2005-10-05T02:37:31Z")
> [@SaintCad](#): > > Legally the Chief Justice of the United States has the most seniority on the SCOTUS since he is the head of the judicial branch. The others are merely Associate Justices of the Supreme Court. I see. A gold robe would be pretty ugly in any case, I think. ---
**Author:** ![Kizarvexius](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/da6949/32.png) [@Kizarvexius](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kizarvexius)\ **Post date:** [October 5, 2005, 5:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-kind-of-judicial-robe-did-chief-justice-roberts/324675/15 "2005-10-05T17:10:21Z")
> [@DaveRaver](#): > > Those stripes were inspired by a judge character in a Gilbert and Sullivan musical (I forget which). Actually, the opera in question is _Iolanthe_, and the robes with striped sleeves are worn by the [Lord Chancellor](http://math.boisestate.edu/gas/iolanthe/gallery/flint-io5.html). > [@](#): > > ``` > The Law is the true embodiment > > ``` > > Of everything that’s excellent. > It has no kind of fault or flaw, > And I, my Lords, embody the Law. **Kizarvexius** (Who played the role of the Lord Chancellor a couple of years back)