<P> Since the Supreme Court was established in 1789 , 17 persons have served as chief justice . The first was John Jay ( 1789 -- 1795 ) . The current chief justice is John Roberts ( since 2005 ) . Four -- Edward Douglass White , Charles Evans Hughes , Harlan Fiske Stone , and William Rehnquist -- were previously confirmed for associate justice and subsequently confirmed for chief justice separately . </P>
who is the supreme justice of the supreme court
John Roberts