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Abstract
John Roberts, during his tenure as Chief Justice, has sought different objectives than those suggested by academics, politicians, and commentators. Unlike his predecessors of the last 75 years, Roberts has used the tools at his disposal to morph the Courts decision-making by using his institutional leadership. These tools include, but are not limited to, according justices more equality, using the conference to find justices who foster unanimity, focusing on specialization, and using the tool of summary disposition to deal with basic error questions. I present a circumstantial argument that Roberts, as Chief Justice, has sought to promote the Court as an institution, even at times over his individual ideological preferences; I dispel the notion that his behaviors occur because of his moderate/swing preference, and I examine the tools he has used to achieve these goals.