Supreme Court Chief Justice John Roberts Appoints New Chief of Staff

Supreme Court Chief Justice John Roberts arrives to the Senate chamber at the Capitol in Washington on Jan. 16, 2020. Drew Angerer/Getty Images

The Supreme Court’s chief justice has appointed a new chief of staff.

Justice John Roberts, 67, chose U.S. District Judge Robert Dow Jr., 57, for the position, the Supreme Court said in a statement.

Roberts and Dow were both appointed to their current positions by former President George W. Bush.

Dow will become Roberts’ chief of staff, also known as a counselor. Under federal law, a counselor performs “such duties as may be assigned to him by the Chief Justice.”

Those duties include assisting court officers with policies, helping with judicial administration, and liaising with the executive and legislative branches. Other duties include helping represent Roberts in communications with judicial organizations and foreign courts and supporting Roberts in the chief justice’s non-judicial responsibilities, such as in his role as chancellor of the Smithsonian Institution.

“I am pleased that Judge Dow has accepted my invitation to assist this Court and courts across the country in their important work. He is well prepared to take on these new responsibilities, and I look forward to a long and productive relationship,” Roberts said in a statement.

“I am grateful to Chief Justice Roberts for the opportunity to serve him, the Supreme Court, and the judicial branch in this new role. It is an honor and privilege to succeed Jeffrey Minear following his long and highly successful tenure as Counselor,” Dow added.

Minear stepped down in September after serving Roberts since 2006. No reason was given for the departure.

“I am departing the office with appreciation for the opportunity, with esteem for each member of the Supreme Court, and with the utmost confidence in the independence and integrity of our courts,” Minear said at the time. Roberts said that Minear “has served so well as my Counselor.”

Dow’s Background

Dow was appointed to the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Illinois, described by the American Law Institute as one of the busiest federal trial courts in the country.

Dow graduated from Yale University with a Bachelor’s degree in history and political science, earned a master’s philosophy degree in international relations and a doctorate philosophy degree in international relations from the University of Oxford, and a Juris Doctor from Harvard Law School.

Dow clerked for U.S. Circuit Judge Joel Flaum, a Reagan appointee, after law school.

In addition to serving as a judge, Dow has been an adjunct professor at Northwestern University Law School and a partner at Mayer Brown LLP.

Dow’s appointment means a vacancy will need to be filled in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Illinois. President Joe Biden will be able to fill the vacancy.