AMERICAN FAMILY ASSOCIATION OF PENNSYLVANIA

(Formerly American Family Association of NW PA)

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Personal Background
Judge John Roberts

Judge John G. Roberts, Jr., was born in Buffalo , New York , on January 27, 1955 . Raised in Indiana .

He is one of four children (the only boy, and second oldest).

Judge Roberts lives in Bethesda , Maryland , with his wife Jane Sullivan Roberts and their two adopted children. Mrs. Roberts is on the board of Feminists for Life and Holy Cross.

Professional Background Information

Prior to his service on the D.C. Circuit (often referred to as “the second highest court in the land” and the bench from which three current Supreme Court Justices came to the Court), Judge Roberts argued a remarkable 39 cases before the Supreme Court. Only a handful of the 180,000 members of the Supreme Court bar come close to that record of accomplishment. 

Judge Roberts was graduated Summa Cum Laude from Harvard University in only three years. After graduating from Harvard Law School with high honors and serving as an editor of the Harvard Law Review, Judge Roberts clerked for Judge Henry Friendly on the Second Circuit and later for Justice William Rehnquist at the Supreme Court.

After his clerkships, Judge Roberts served in the Department of Justice and later as Associate Counsel to President Ronald Reagan before going into private practice. 

After three years in private practice, Judge Roberts returned to the Department of Justice as Principal Deputy Solicitor General, a position in which he briefed and argued a variety of cases before the Supreme Court. 

Upon his nomination to the D.C. Circuit, 152 members of the D.C. Bar wrote to the Senate Judiciary Committee to note that Judge Roberts is “one of the very best and most highly respected appellate lawyers in the nation, with a deserved reputation as a brilliant writer and oral advocate.”  Signers, ranging from Democratic lawyers like Lloyd Cutler and Seth Waxman to former President George H.W. Bush’s White House Counsel C. Boyden Gray, cited his   “unquestioned integrity and fair-mindedness.” 

Anne L. Bryant and Julie Underwood of The National School Boards Association have noted that Judge Roberts “is always willing to take the time to do things right; and he is willing to support others who exhibit similar values.  Above all, he personifies the qualities of an outstanding jurist with his even-temper and respectful demeanor.”

In the 1995 case of Barry v. Little, Judge Roberts argued*free of charge*before the D.C. Court of Appeals on behalf of a class of the neediest welfare recipients, challenging a termination of benefits under the District’s Public Assistance Act of 1982. 

For those who are interested there is additional information about John Roberts at the end of this e-mail.  Follow this link for his appellate court confirmation hearings.  

In 2003 Judge Roberts was reported favorably out of the Senate Judiciary Committee by a vote of 16-3.  This vote successfully split the Democrats and because of this they called for a voice vote only to the D.C. Circuit Court of Appeals.  Afterwards Judge Roberts was confirmed by the Senate by unanimous consent.

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