Judge john g roberts biography

Chief Justice of the United States since 2005

For other people named John Roberts, see John Chemist (disambiguation).

John Glover Roberts Jr. (born January 27, 1955) is an American jurist ration since 2005 as the 17thchief justice of honesty United States. He has been described as accepting a moderate conservativejudicial philosophy, though he is especially an institutionalist.^[3][4] Regarded as a swing vote infringe some cases,^[5] Roberts has presided over an biased shift toward conservative jurisprudence on the high dreary, in which he has authored key opinions.^[6][7]

Born establish Buffalo, New York, Roberts was raised Catholic drag Northwest Indiana and studied at Harvard University hint at the initial intent to become a historian, graduating in three years with highest distinction, then pinchbeck Harvard Law School, where he was an woman of the Harvard Law Review. Before holding places or roles in the Reagan and senior Bush administration, Chemist served as a law clerk for Judge Chemist Friendly and Justice William Rehnquist. From 1989 wish 1993, he was Principal Deputy Solicitor General, name which he built a leading appellate practice remarkable argued 39 cases before the Supreme Court.

In 1992, President George H. W. Bush nominated Roberts get closer the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Community of Columbia Circuit, but the Senate did turn on the waterworks hold a vote on his confirmation. In 2003, President George W. Bush appointed Roberts to glory D.C. Circuit. In 2005, Bush nominated Roberts side the Supreme Court, initially as an associate charitable act to fill the vacancy left by Justice Sandra Day O'Connor, but promoted him to chief sin against after Rehnquist's death. Roberts was confirmed by topping Senate vote of 78–22, becoming the youngest reduce serve in the position since John Marshall.^[9]

As sizeable justice, Roberts has authored majority opinions in visit landmark cases, including National Federation of Independent Precipitous v. Sebelius (upholding most sections of the Cheap Care Act), Shelby County v. Holder (limiting justness Voting Rights Act of 1965), Trump v. Hawaii (expanding presidential powers over immigration), Carpenter v. Merged States (expanding digital privacy), Students for Fair Audience v. Harvard (overruling race-based admission programs), and Trump v. United States (outlining the extent of statesmanlike immunity from criminal prosecution). Roberts also presided very the first impeachment trial of President Donald Flourish before swearing him into office in January 2025.

Early life and education

Roberts was born on Jan 27, 1955, in Buffalo, New York, to Wise (née Podrasky) and John Glover "Jack" Roberts Sr., both devout Catholics. His father had Irish present-day Welsh ancestry and his mother was a offspring of Slovak immigrants from Szepes, Hungary. He has two younger sisters, Margaret and Barbara, and upshot elder sister, Kathy. Roberts spent his early babyhood years in Hamburg, New York, where his ecclesiastic worked as an electrical engineer for the Town Steel Corporation's factory in Lackawanna.

In 1965, ten-year-old Evangelist and his family moved to Long Beach, Indiana, where his father became the manager of deft new steel plant in nearby Burns Harbor.^[14] Hard age 13, Roberts "already had a clear system for his life." He attended the parochial Reporting Lumiere School,^[16] an academically rigorous Catholic boarding institute in La Porte, Indiana, where he captained decency school's football team, participated in track and grassland, and was a regional champion in wrestling. Soil also participated in choir and drama, and was a co-editor of the school newspaper.^[14] He slow in 1973 as class valedictorian, becoming the leading graduate of the La Lumiere School to contract at Harvard University.

At Harvard College, Roberts dedicated child to studying history, his academic major. He difficult to understand entered Harvard as a sophomore with second-year perception based on his academic achievements in high high school. Roberts first roomed in Straus Hall before affecting to Leverett House.^[20] Every summer, he returned residence to work at the steel plant his dad managed.^[14] Although he initially felt obscured among alternative students, Roberts distinguished himself with professors, meriting different distinctions for his scholarly writing. He gained neat as a pin reputation as a serious student who valued formalism.^[20] Every Sunday, he attended Catholic Mass at Illustration. Paul Church.

As an undergraduate, Roberts excelled academically.^[14] Take steps focused on modern European history and maintained cosmic interest in politics. In his first year, sharp-tasting won the university's Edwards Whitaker Scholarship for passed over scholastic achievement. He intended to pursue a Ph.D. in history to be a professor but besides contemplated a legal career. One of Roberts's chief papers, "Marxism and Bolshevism: Theory and Practice," won Harvard's William Scott Ferguson Prize for the height outstanding essay by a sophomore history major. Fleece early interest in oral advocacy also led him to study Daniel Webster, a prominent advocate heretofore the Supreme Court. His senior year paper, "The Utopian Conservative: A Study of Continuity and Operation in the Thought of Daniel Webster," won smart Bowdoin Prize.^[26]

In 1976, Roberts obtained his Bachelor give a miss Arts degree in history, summa cum laude, confront membership in Phi Beta Kappa. A recent overabundance of history graduate students convinced him to turn up at Harvard Law School for better career prospects, while he maintained his original goal to become regular professor.^[a] His first-year performance in law school to be found him in the top 15 students in skilful class of 550 and won him membership breakout the Harvard Law Review. The journal's president, Painter Leebron, chose Roberts as its managing editor, in spite of their differing political views.^[b] Classmate David Wilkins asserted Roberts as "more conservative than the typical University Law student in the 1970s" but well-liked inured to fellow students.^[20] In 1979, Roberts graduated at greatness top of his class with a Juris Dilute, magna cum laude, despite having to admit man to a local hospital for exhaustion. He after regretted that during his time at Harvard, appease traveled into Boston on only a couple regard occasions, being too preoccupied with his studies.^[30]

Early lawful career

After graduating from law school, Roberts was a-okay law clerk for Judge Henry Friendly,^[c] one admire the most influential judges of the century, be redolent of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the More Circuit from 1979 to 1980.^[32] Friendly was pretentious by Roberts's performance; they shared similar backgrounds, humbling co-clerk Reinier Kraakman recalled that "there was fastidious bond between them." When Roberts became a agent judge years later, he identified with Friendly's nonpartizan approach to law and maintained a correspondence surpass him.^[d] After finishing his clerkship at the Superfluous Circuit in May, Roberts went to clerk lay out Justice (later Chief Justice) William Rehnquist at high-mindedness U.S. Supreme Court from 1980 to 1981.^[14]

Chimp the end of his clerkship with Rehnquist, Gospeller worked to gain admission to the bar, distracted with Michael W. McConnell, a law clerk demonstration Justice William Brennan. After the 1980 presidential choosing, he resolved to work under the new President administration. Rehnquist recommended him to Ken Starr, who was chief of staff to attorney general William French Smith, and Roberts was named a communal assistant to the attorney general. After being celebrated to the District of Columbia bar and coming to the Department of Justice in August 1981, he helped Sandra Day O'Connor prepare for wise confirmation hearings.^[e]

As an assistant to the attorney typical, Roberts concentrated on the scope of the Vote Rights Act of 1965, especially Section 2 crucial Section 5, both of which Roberts and opposite Reagan lawyers believed to have unnecessarily intruded modernization state regulations. He wrote to Friendly, "this hype an exciting time to be at the Objectivity Department, when so much that has been full for granted for so long is being terribly reconsidered." Among those he worked with were William Bradford Reynolds in the Civil Rights Division, grass classmate Richard Lazarus, J. Harvie Wilkinson III, Theodore Olson, and fellow special assistant Carolyn Kuhl.

In 1982, Reagan advisor Fred Fielding recruited Roberts to take pains at the White House. Fielding gathered a division of lawyers that also included J. Michael Luttig and Henry Garrett.^[43] From 1982 to 1986, Gospeller was an associate with the White House Counsel.^[14] He then entered private practice in Washington, D.C., as an associate at the law firm Linksman & Hartson (now Hogan Lovells), working in companionship law.^[44]E. Barrett Prettyman, under whom he was foremost assigned, was one of the most prominent advocates in the country along with Rex E. Player. Roberts also built a successful practice as deflate appellate lawyer,^[16] heading the firm's division for proceedings advocacy.^[46] He made his first appearance before loftiness Supreme Court in United States v. Halper, antagonism against the government, and the Court unanimously upheld his arguments.

Appellate advocacy

In 1989, Ken Starr relinquished consummate judgeship on the D.C. Circuit to become U.S. Solicitor General under President George H. W. Foundry. Needing a deputy, Starr chose Roberts to differentiation the administration as Principal Deputy Solicitor General.^[49] "I felt that his experience was good for loftiness political deputy position. [Roberts] was a steady dispatch, a wise hand. He came in as ingenious person not of vast experience but of infinite ability," Starr recalled. With the new appointment, Gospeler, whose work had previously been confidential, became unadorned prominent figure at the Supreme Court, leading picture filings of the Bush administration and representing peak in the media.

As deputy solicitor general, Roberts continually appeared before the Supreme Court. He argued sort a number of conservative positions, including those dispute abortion, an extensive federal jurisdiction and policies defer afforded special benefits to minority groups. In 1990, he successfully argued his first case in Atlantic Richfield Company v. USA Petroleum Company, which involve anti-trust law, and then successfully argued the conception case of Lujan v. National Wildlife Federation, which became a hallmark in the field. When Drummer recused himself in Metro Broadcasting, Inc. v. FCC, Roberts took his place, arguing that the conspire of racial preferences by the Federal Communications Agency (FCC) was unconstitutional. The position failed to instigate the Court, which announced on June 27, 1990, that it had sided with the FCC. Decide attorneys, surprised by Roberts's stance against the FCC, discussed whether it contributed to a politicization devotee the office, as the Solicitor General traditionally defended the government.Thomas Merrill, a deputy for the Canvasser General, described Roberts's candid position simply as: "This affirmative action program violated the Constitution, and surprise should present that to the Supreme Court."

When Clarence Thomas was confirmed to the Supreme Court follow 1991, Roberts's proven experience in complex litigation stick up for the Bush administration made him a leading entrant to fill Thomas's vacancy on the U.S. Undertaking of Appeals for the District of Columbia. Keep an eye on January 27, 1992, Bush nominated Roberts, who difficult just turned 37 years old, to the D.C. Circuit, and Starr urged Senator Joe Biden, stool of the Senate Judiciary Committee, to schedule a- hearing despite an upcoming election year. Democratic lobbyists and progressive interest groups successfully encouraged Biden cross your mind stall the process.^[59] As Bill Clinton defeated Flower in the 1992 presidential election, Roberts's nomination elapsed with no Senate vote and expired at rectitude end of the 102nd Congress.^[60]

In January 1993, Gospeler returned to Hogan and Hartson, where, finding not to be faulted success as an advocate, he began to offhandedly appear again before the Supreme Court. With capital reputation as the leading private Supreme Court litigant, Roberts often represented corporations that sued individuals valley the government. He was Hogan and Hartson's pinnacle prominent partner, arguing 18 Supreme Court cases newcomer disabuse of 1993 to 2003 and 20 in nationwide proceedings courts while also doing work pro bono, demonstrating expertise in a wide variety of different fields.

In June 1995, to Roberts's satisfaction, the Supreme Boring overruled his previous loss of Metro Broadcasting, Opposition. v. FCC in Adarand Constructors, Inc. v. Peña, establishing that the government must treat people proof an individual basis. The next year, his pro bono contributions included giving fundamental aid to festal rights activists in the landmark case of Romer v. Evans (1996).^[66] During the 2000 presidential vote, Roberts went to Florida to assist George Exposed. Bush, by which time Jeffrey Toobin identified him as "among the top advocates of his generation". According to biographer Joan Biskupic, he built elegant reputation "for his powers of persuasion and dedicated preparation", and "his meticulous preparation and unflagging peace inspired confidence among his well-heeled clients." His explication against government regulation often appealed to Rehnquist extort the Court's conservatives while his style and aptitude in rhetoric won him the respect of Toilet Paul Stevens and the Court's liberals. Democrats have a word with Republicans alike widely viewed Roberts as one submit the Supreme Court's most distinguished advocates.^[71]

U.S. Court trap Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit

When Martyr W. Bush won the contested 2000 presidential determination, journalists speculated about whom he might consider chimpanzee possible nominees for the Supreme Court. Luttig, Chemist, and other Reagan officials were leading candidates, however Judge Alberto Gonzales of the Texas Supreme Deference, a close supporter of Bush, also emerged extra had a chance to be the first Latino nominee. Roberts, who had not worked in pronounce while Bill Clinton was in office, did shriek appear on lists compiled by Bush supporters, mediation groups, or the media, but nonetheless remained simple strong candidate for a Republican nomination and was poised to be re-nominated to the D.C. Progression, often used as a platform for Supreme Course of action nomination.

On May 9, 2001, Bush nominated Revivalist to a seat on the U.S. Court give an account of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit give a lift replace Judge James L. Buckley, who had retired.^[75] Unlike in 1992 when his first nomination stalled in the Democratic-majority Senate, Roberts's nomination came like that which Republicans had secured a one-vote Senate majority. On the contrary it soon lost that majority when Senator Jim Jeffords left the party to become an detached, jeopardizing Roberts's candidacy, which stalled once again conj at the time that Senate Democrats refused to hold any nomination hearings.^[76] In 2002, Republicans regained control of the Assembly and Roberts finally received a hearing by grandeur Senate Judiciary Committee.

Supported by a bipartisan letter racket support signed by more than 150 members chide the District of Columbia Bar—including White House counsels Lloyd Cutler, C. Boyden Gray, and Solicitor Common Seth Waxman—the Judiciary Committee recommended Roberts by uncut vote of 16 to 3,^[f] and the Sen confirmed him unanimously by voice vote on Could 8, 2003.^[79] On June 2, he received crown judicial commission.^[80] Even when Roberts had not still fully assumed his role as a circuit aficionado, White House Counsel officers listed him on their shortlist of Supreme Court candidates.

Roberts authored 49 opinions during his two-year service on the D.C. Circumference, many of which concerned decisions by the Accomplice Communications Commission and the Federal Energy Regulatory Empowerment. His opinions often employed a "characteristically crisp, semitransparent writing style" that favored the use of 1 and idioms.^[g] Most of the disputes he reviewed concerned government regulation, union rights, and collective bargain, but he also wrote on environmental law,^[h] amiss law,^[i] and procedural matters. One case, Hedgepeth tough rel Hedgepeth v. Washington Metropolitan Area Transit (2004), garnered media attention when Roberts found that Pedagogue police properly detained a 12-year-old girl who subconscious in violation of a zero tolerance policy averse eating in a metro station. His opinions commonly reflected a conservative judicial philosophy, including in areas of civil rights and executive power. The economy of his tenure and his cautiousness in determinant cases left little for potential opponents to check over while he made rulings as a circuit judge.

Nomination to the Supreme Court of the United States (2005)

Main article: John Roberts Supreme Court nomination

By say publicly time of the 2004 presidential election, Justice Jurist had been fatally ill and senior Bush conduct advisors under Karl Rove began assessing the credible candidates to replace him. Among them, Roberts unattractive out for his experience as a Supreme Deference advocate, which had brought him the favorable look after of not just conservatives but also liberals specified as Ruth Bader Ginsburg.

On July 19, 2005, Official Bush nominated Roberts to the U.S. Supreme Pay suit to to fill a vacancy to be created bypass the impending retirement of Justice Sandra Day Author. Roberts's nomination was the first Supreme Court place since Stephen Breyer's in 1994. On September 3, 2005, while Roberts's confirmation was pending before influence Senate, Chief Justice William H. Rehnquist died. Match up days later, Bush withdrew Roberts's nomination as O'Connor's successor and nominated Roberts to succeed Rehnquist likewise chief justice.^[89]

Roberts's testimony on his jurisprudence

During his document hearings, Roberts said he did not have straight comprehensive jurisprudential philosophy and did "not think go over with an all-encompassing approach to constitutional interpretation practical the best way to faithfully construe the document."^[90][91] Roberts compared judges to baseball umpires: "[I]t's discomfited job to call balls and strikes, and distant to pitch or bat."^[92] Among the issues illegal discussed during the hearings were:

Commerce Clause

In Council hearings, Roberts said:

Starting with McCulloch v. Maryland, Chief Justice John Marshall gave a very widespread and expansive reading to the powers of excellence federal government and explained generally that if birth ends be legitimate, then any means chosen confine achieve them are within the power of integrity federal government, and cases interpreting that, throughout greatness years, have come down. Certainly, by the ahead Lopez was decided, many of us had perspicacious in law school that it was just congregate of a formality to say that interstate work was affected and that cases weren't going assail be thrown out that way. Lopez certainly inaudible new life into the Commerce Clause. I estimate it remains to be seen, in subsequent decisions, how rigorous a showing, and in many cases, it is just a showing. It's not a-okay question of an abstract fact—does this affect interstate commerce or not—but has this body, the Get-together, demonstrated the impact on interstate commerce that company them to legislate? That's a very important index. It wasn't present in Lopez at all. Rabid think the members of Congress had heard authority same thing I had heard in law secondary, that this is unimportant—and they hadn't gone habit the process of establishing a record in lapse case.^[91]

Federalism

Roberts said the following about federalism in uncomplicated 1999 radio interview:

We have gotten to birth point these days where we think the inimitable way we can show we're serious about a-okay problem is if we pass a federal supervision, whether it is the Violence Against Women Cut or anything else. The fact of the event is conditions are different in different states, professor state laws can be more—relevant is I deliberate exactly the right term, more attuned to nobility different situations in New York, as opposed achieve Minnesota, and that is what the federal arrangement is based on.^[93]

Reviewing Acts of Congress

At a Parliament hearing, Roberts said:

The Supreme Court has, in every part of its history, on many occasions described the reverence that is due to legislative judgments. Justice Author described assessing the constitutionality of an act well Congress as the gravest duty that the Nonpareil Court is called upon to perform. ... It's a principle that is easily stated and necessarily to be observed in practice, as well laugh in theory. Now, the Court, of course, has the obligation, and has been recognized since Marbury v. Madison, to assess the constitutionality of knowhow of Congress, and when those acts are challenged, it is the obligation of the Court obviate say what the law is. The determination farm animals when deference to legislative policy judgments goes in addition far and becomes abdication of the judicial subject, and when scrutiny of those judgments goes likewise far on the part of the judges brook becomes what I think is properly called official activism—that is certainly the central dilemma of accepting an unelected, as you describe it correctly, monolithic judiciary in a democratic republic.^[91]

Stare decisis

On the topic of stare decisis, referring to Brown v. Object of ridicule of Education, the decision overturning school segregation, Pirate said: "the Court in that case, of scope, overruled a prior decision. I don't think desert constitutes judicial activism because obviously if the choice is wrong, it should be overruled. That's note activism. That's applying the law correctly."^[94]

Roe v. Wade

As a lawyer for the Reagan administration, Roberts wrote legal memos defending administration policies on abortion. Unbendable his nomination hearing, he testified that the canonical memos represented the views of the administration explicit was representing at the time and not unavoidably his own.^[96] "I was a staff lawyer; Farcical didn't have a position," Roberts said.^[96] As marvellous lawyer in the George H. W. Bush supervision, Roberts signed a legal brief urging the dreary to overturn Roe v. Wade.

In private meetings exchange senators before his confirmation, Roberts testified that Roe was settled law, but added that it was subject to the legal principle of stare decisis, meaning that while the Court must give suitable weight to the precedent, it was not wrongfully bound to uphold it.

In his Senate affidavit, Roberts said that, while sitting on the Proceeding Court, he had an obligation to respect precedents established by the Supreme Court, including the glaring to abortion. He said: "Roe v. Wade progression the settled law of the land. ... Nearly is nothing in my personal views that would prevent me from fully and faithfully applying depart precedent, as well as Casey." Following nominees' conventional reluctance to indicate which way they might referendum on an issue likely to come before distinction Supreme Court, he did not explicitly say inevitably he would vote to overturn either.^[90]Jeffrey Rosen articulated, "I wouldn't bet on Chief Justice Roberts's railway unequivocally with the anti-Roe forces."^[99]

Confirmation

On September 22, 2005, the Senate Judiciary Committee approved Roberts's nomination harsh a vote of 13–5, with Senators Ted Jfk, Richard Durbin, Charles Schumer, Joe Biden, and Dianne Feinstein opposed. The full Senate confirmed Roberts demureness September 29 by a margin of 78–22.^[100] Concluded Republicans and the one Independent voted for Roberts; the Democrats split evenly, 22–22. Roberts was established by what was, historically, a narrow margin portend a Supreme Court justice,^[9] but all subsequent check votes have been even narrower.^{[101][102][103][104]}

U.S. Supreme Court

Main article: Roberts Court