Justice Misra enrolled as an Advocate in February 1977 and Practiced in Constitutional, Civil, Criminal, Revenue, Service, and Sales Tax matters in the Orissa High Court and the Service Tribunal. He was appointed as an Additional Judge of the Orissa High Court on 17th January 1996 and transferred to the Madhya Pradesh High Court on 03rd March 1997. Justice Misra assumed charge of the office of Chief Justice, Patna High Court on 23rd December 2009 and charge of the office of the Chief Justice of Delhi High Court on 24th May 2010. He was elevated as a Judge in the Supreme Court of India in 2011 and appointed as The Chief Justice of India on 28. July 2017, He retired on October 2, 2018.