【美国精神】第40期(在线收听

Explanation:   
  The Supreme Court is the highest (or most important) court in the United States, so it makes sense that the leader of the Supreme Court, known as the Chief Justice, is the highest (or most important) judge in the U.S. government. 
 
  The Chief Justice has all the same responsibilities as the Associate Justices for hearing cases (or listening to lawsuits and stating a legal opinion). However, the Chief Justice also has many other responsibilities. 
 
  When the nine justices of the Supreme Court discuss (or talk about) cases, the Chief Justice must lead the discussion. The Chief Justice speaks first, and this gives him or her the power to influence (or affect) the discussion. The Chief Justice also makes the agenda (or plan for what will be discussed) for each weekly meeting where the justices decide which cases they are going to hear.  
 
  When the justices vote on a case, the Chief Justice’s vote is equal to (or has the same importance as) the other eight votes. However, the Chief Justice gets to decide who will write the court’s opinion (or a written document explaining what the court decided and why). Because the Chief Justice knows each justice’s writing style and opinions, he or she can pick the one who will write an opinion that describes the case as he or she would want it to be described. That is an important way for the Chief Justice to influence the work of the Supreme Court, since lawyers and other judges often go back to read the Supreme Court’s opinions and use them to make other legal decisions later. 
 
  When the U.S. president is inaugurated (or first begins working as the president), the Chief Justice states the oath (or promises that are made before entering a public office) that the new president must repeat. 
 
  The Chief Justice also must preside over (or lead) impeachment trials for the U.S. president. An impeachment trial happens when the members of Congress believe that the president is doing his or her job very poorly or has done something very wrong and want to vote to have the job of president taken away from him or her. 
 
问题:
Who is the Chief Justice of the United States?  
Answer:   
John Roberts (John G. Roberts, Jr.) 
  原文地址:http://www.tingroom.com/lesson/mgjsy/397979.html