ASSOCIATE JUSTICE, a judicial official in the Federal and many of the State courts in the United States. In the United States judiciary there are eight associate justices of the Supreme Court, who have concurrent authority with the chief justice, except that he presides and assigns cases for opinions. Likewise there are eight associate justices of the United States court of customs, with headquarters in New York. Such associate justices have the same authority as the chief justice, except that he assigns the cases for hearings. In the District of Columbia there are five associate justices of the Supreme Court, which is the court of original general jurisdiction. They are assigned to the civil, equity or criminal divisions by their chief justices, who also sit as trial judges. The members of the supreme courts of the Territories who do not preside over the courts are associate justices. In the various States the courts of highest jurisdiction are either the supreme court or the court of appeals, composed of judges or justices. Where justices sit on the bench, the associate justices are all the members of the body except the chief justice, and their relationship is similar to that of the chief justice and associate justices of the United States Supreme Court. In other States the presiding official is the chief judge or presiding judge, and his associates are known as judges or associate judges. In a few States, such as New York, the courts of general original juris diction are presided over by justices rather than by judges.
See C. N. Callender, American Courts, Their Organization and Procedure (S. LE.)