The first chief justice of the United States did not view the Supreme Court as the pinnacle of a legal career. He left the bench for a role he considered more consequential, and when offered the chief justiceship again, he turned it down.
The story, recounted by Above the Law, illustrates how the Court's prestige has grown over time. In the early republic, serving on the highest court was not necessarily the crowning achievement it is often considered today.
The chief justice's choice to walk away—and to refuse a second chance—offers a reminder that institutional power is not static. What one era sees as a lesser post may become, in another, the most coveted job in the law.