{{Short description|Judge of a court other than the chief justice}} {{More citations needed|date=September 2008}}
An '''associate justice''' or '''associate judge''' (or simply '''associate''') is a judge of a court other than the chief justice in some jurisdictions. The title "Associate Justice" is used for members of the Supreme Court of the United States and some state supreme courts, and for some other courts in Commonwealth of Nations countries, as well as for members of the Supreme Court of the Federated States of Micronesia, a former United States Trust Territory.<ref>[http://www.fsmgov.org/press/pr012810.htm "The Federated States of Micronesia Mourns the loss of one of its Founding Fathers: Chief Justice Andon Amaraich"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101001123838/http://www.fsmgov.org/press/pr012810.htm |date=2010-10-01 }}, Government of the F.S. Micronesia, January 28, 2010</ref> In other common law jurisdictions, the equivalent position is called "Puisne Justice".
In several Canadian courts, the term "associate judge" has the same meaning as a Master (judiciary).
==Commonwealth== The function of associate justices vary depending on the Court they preside in. In the Australian state of New South Wales, associate justices of the New South Wales Supreme Court hear civil trials and appeals from lower courts amongst other matters.<ref>{{cite Legislation AU|NSW|act|sca1970183|Supreme Court Act 1970|118}}.</ref> Associate justices can sit either as a single judge or may sit on the New South Wales Court of Appeal.<ref>{{cite Legislation AU|NSW|act|sca1970183|Supreme Court Act 1970|117A}}</ref>
In New Zealand, associate judges of the High Court of New Zealand supervise preliminary processes in most civil proceedings. Associate judges have jurisdiction to deal with such matters as: summary judgment applications, company liquidations, bankruptcy proceedings, interlocutory applications, and some other types of civil proceedings.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.lawsociety.org.nz/news/publications/lawtalk/lawtalk-issue-956/update-from-chief-high-court-judge/ |title=Update from Chief High Court Judge |date=2023-12-06 |access-date=2026-02-15}}</ref> Associate judges in New Zealand were known as masters from 1987 until 2004.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.courtsofnz.govt.nz/publications/announcements/13-february-2026-media-statement-chief-justice-pays-tribute-to-anne-gambrill-cnzm |title=Chief Justice pays tribute to Anne Gambrill CNZM |date=2026-02-13 |access-date=2026-02-15}}</ref>
==Micronesia== Under the Constitution of Micronesia, the Supreme Court "consists of the Chief Justice and not more than 5 associate justices".<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.fsmlaw.org/fsm/constitution/article11.htm |title=FSM Constitution - Article 11 |author=<!--Not stated--> |date=1978 |website=Legal Information System of the Federated States of Micronesia |access-date=October 29, 2020 |quote=The Supreme Court is a court of record and the highest court in the nation. It consists of the Chief Justice and not more than 5 associate justices.}}</ref> However, as of October 2020 there are only two associate justices in office: Beauleen Carl-Worswick and Larry Wentworth.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.fsmsupremecourt.org/justices.html |title=Justices |author=<!--Not stated--> |website=The Supreme Court of the Federated States of Micronesia |access-date=October 29, 2020}}</ref>
==United States== In the United States, judicial panels are non-hierarchical, so an associate judge has the same responsibilities with respect to cases as the chief judge but usually has fewer or different administrative responsibilities than the chief.
===Supreme Court=== Under the Judiciary Act of 1869, there are eight Associate Justices on the Supreme Court of the United States.<ref>{{cite book |first=Kermit L. |last=Hall |chapter=Judiciary Act of 1869 |title=The Oxford Companion to the Supreme Court of the United States |editor-first=Kermit L. |editor-last=Hall |editor2-first=James W. |editor2-last=Ely |editor3-first=Joel B. |editor3-last=Grossman |publisher=Oxford University Press |year=2005 |page=548 |isbn=978-0-19-517661-2 |chapter-url=https://books.google.com/books?id=cY3er3ilgjcC&pg=PA548 }}</ref> The most junior associate justice (currently Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson) has additional responsibilities to the other associate justices: taking notes of decisions and answering the door in private conference and serving on the Supreme Court's cafeteria committee.<ref>{{cite news |last=Barnes |first=Robert |date=April 9, 2017 |title=What does the junior Supreme Court justice do? Kagan tells Gorsuch it starts in the kitchen |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/courts_law/what-does-the-junior-supreme-court-justice-do-kagan-tells-gorsuch-it-starts-in-the-kitchen/2017/04/09/9297ef4c-1bbd-11e7-9887-1a5314b56a08_story.html |newspaper=The Washington Post |access-date=October 29, 2020}}</ref>
==See also== * Puisne judge
==References== {{Reflist}}
{{Authority control}}
Category:Judges