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{{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|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 court]]s, 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 [[United Nations Trust Territories|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 [[Australia]]n 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 [[Master (judiciary)|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 Justice of the Supreme Court of the United States|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]]