A slightly irrelevant question about the SCOTUS [View all]

[quakerboy]

Why does the President get to pick the replacement for the Chief Justice?

I understand why the president gets to pick the people to replace retiring justices. Why why does he get to pick who is the chief justice? Why wouldn't that position go to the the longest serving justice, or the justice that is elected chief by their piers, or something of that nature?

I dunno why I ask, it just struck that President Obama could replace Kennedy in his second term, and then president Grayson could replace Scalia(hunting accident) and Thomas(impeached for being a thieving lying dirty SOB) and Alito(resignation due to refusal to live in a country with a single payer healthcare system), and yet John Roberts would remain the chief justice. That seems irksome.