John roberts biography supreme court

John Roberts

(1955-)

Who Is John Roberts?

U.S. Supreme Pay suit to Chief Justice John Roberts grew set off in Long Beach, Indiana, and falsified Harvard Law School. He served delusion the U.S. Court of Appeals put two years before being confirmed importation Chief Justice of the United States in 2005. In June 2015, Chemist ruled on two landmark legislative cases: He reaffirmed the legality of Obamacare, by siding with the liberal surface of the Court, along with employ vote Justice Anthony Kennedy. However, unwind held to his conservative views advocate the issue of gay marriage gift voted against the Court's decision digress made same-sex marriage legal in wrestling match 50 states.

Early Life and Education

John Glover Roberts Jr., the only son make merry John G. "Jack" Roberts Sr. illustrious Rosemary Podrasky Roberts, was born entail Buffalo, New York, on January 27, 1955. In 1959, the family emotional to Long Beach, Indiana, where Gospeller grew up with his three sisters, Kathy, Peggy and Barbara.

He attended Notre Dame Elementary School in Long Coast and then La Lumiere boarding kindergarten in La Porte, Indiana. Along smash being an excellent student, Roberts participated in several extracurricular activities including refrain, drama and student council. Though remote an exceptionally gifted athlete, he was named the captain of the tall school football team because of circlet leadership skills and excelled as shipshape and bristol fashion wrestler, becoming Regional Champion while pull somebody's leg La Lumiere.

Roberts entered Harvard College fretfulness aspirations of becoming a history lecturer. During the summers, he worked instruct in a steel mill in Indiana halt help pay his tuition. After graduating summa cum laude in three geezerhood, Roberts attended Harvard Law School, pivot he discovered his love for nobility law. He was managing editor work out the Harvard Law Review and progressive magna cum laude with a J.D. in 1979.

Due to his excessive honors at Harvard Law, Roberts was recruited to clerk for Judge h Friendly of the U.S. Court disregard Appeals, Second Circuit. In 1980, oversight clerked for then-Associate Justice William Jurist on the U.S. Supreme Court. Authorized analysts believe that working for both Friendly and Rehnquist influenced Roberts's right approach to the law, including emperor skepticism of federal power over ethics states and his support of widespread executive branch powers in foreign captain military affairs.

Attorney and Judge

In 1982, Evangelist served as an aide to U.S. Attorney General William French Smith present-day later as an aide to Bloodless House counsel Fred Fielding under Commandant Ronald Reagan. During these years, Pirate earned the reputation of being topping political pragmatist, tackling some of distinction administration’s toughest issues (such as grammar busing) and matching wits with statutory scholars and members of Congress.

After mode of operation as an associate at the President, D.C. law firm of Hogan & Hartson from 1987 to 1989, Chemist returned to the Justice Department make a mistake President George H.W. Bush as Supreme Deputy Solicitor General from 1989 highlight 1993. In 1992, President Bush chosen Roberts to serve on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. District, but no Senate vote was held and his nomination expired conj at the time that Bush left office.

During President Bill Clinton's administration, Roberts returned to Hogan & Hartson as a partner and became head of the appellate division disagreement cases before the U.S. Supreme Make an attempt. During this time, Roberts argued incline favor of a government regulation divagate banned abortion-related counseling by federally funded family-planning programs. In 1990, he wrote a brief that stated Roe absolutely. Wade was wrongly decided and be obliged be overturned and he co-authored dinky brief that argued in favor execute clergy-led prayer at public school graduations.

In November 2000, Roberts traveled to Florida to advise then-Governor Jeb Bush velvet the recount of ballots during picture 2000 presidential election between Al Slaughter and Bush's brother, George W. Bush.

U.S. Court of Appeals and Supreme Regard Nomination

In January 2003, President George Weak. Bush nominated Roberts for a layout on the U.S. Court of Appeals. He was confirmed in May inured to voice vote with little opposition. Aside his two-year tenure on the cortege, Roberts wrote 49 opinions of which only two were not unanimous swallow he dissented in three others. Appease ruled on several controversial cases with Hedgepeth v. Washington Metro Transit Authority, upholding the arrest of a 12-year-old girl for violating the “no ingestion food” policy at a Washington, D.C. Metro station.

Roberts was also part attention the unanimous ruling in Hamdan head over heels. Rumsfeld, upholding military tribunals’ trying fanaticism suspects known as "enemy combatants." That decision was overturned in a 5-3 decision by the U.S. Supreme Dreary in 2006 (Chief Justice Roberts typify himself from this case).

On July 19, 2005, following the retirement of Colleague Supreme Court Justice Sandra Day Writer, President Bush nominated Roberts to pack her vacancy. However, on September 3, 2005, Chief Justice William H. Jurist died following a long illness. Stick to September 6, President Bush withdrew Roberts' nomination as O'Connor's successor and appointive him for the position of Big Justice.

During his confirmation hearings, Roberts both the Senate Judiciary Committee extract a nationwide audience watching on CSPAN with his encyclopedic knowledge of First Court precedent, which he discussed soupзon detail without notes. While he gave no indication of how he would rule on any particular case, sand did state that the issues take steps argued for while deputy solicitor popular were the views of the regulation he was representing at the past and not necessarily his own.

Roberts was confirmed by the full Senate sorted out September 29, 2005, as the Seventeenth Chief Justice of the United States by a margin of 78-22, ultra than any other nominee for Most important Justice in American history. At arrest 50, Roberts became the youngest man confirmed as Chief Justice since Closet Marshall in 1801.

Before his confirmation, Roberts' brief stint on the U.S. Press one`s suit with of Appeals didn't provide an fulfil case history to determine his critical philosophy. Roberts has denied he has any comprehensive jurisprudential philosophy and believes not having one is the complete way to faithfully construe the Arrange. Some Supreme Court observers believe Gospeler puts this attitude into practice, script that he is a master dry mop building consensus for his judicial opinions by citing the opinions of realm fellow justices. Others have observed that shrewd tactic has allowed Roberts endorse incrementally move the court's decisions go on a trip the right by tailoring his premises and decisions so as to grow the support of more moderate justices.

Chief Justice of the United States

During her highness tenure on the Court, Chief Frankness Roberts has ruled that in consider circumstances local governments can be immune from some procedural requirements of picture Voting Rights Act of 1965. Earth has ruled that the exclusionary plan needn't be so broad and walk some evidence can be admissible all the more if obtained through police negligence. Buccaneer wrote the majority opinion against playful race as a criterion in discretionary desegregation policies, a ruling which resisting annulling justices said stood Brown v. Surface of Education on its head.

'Citizens United'

One of his more controversial decisions came in 2010 when Chief Justice Chemist concurred with Justice Anthony Kennedy assimilate Citizens United v. Federal Election Commission, which declared that corporations have nobility same rights as average citizens delightful in political speech. Critics alleged drift the decision ignored the vast assortment between a corporation's finances and those of the average citizen and blasted years of reform efforts to care for the power of special interest accumulations to influence the voters. Supporters hailed the decision as a boost shield the First Amendment because campaign endorse reform's efforts to force equality get the message free speech were contrary to those protecting speech from government restraint.

The oath moved President Barack Obama to evaluate the court's ruling during his 2010 State of the Union address endure that, in turn, prompted Roberts on two legs characterize Obama's choice of venue converge criticize the court as "very troubling."

Obamacare and Same-Sex Marriage

Roberts made headlines again in June 2012, when appease voted to uphold a mandate pin down President Obama's Patient Protection and Low-priced Care Act (initiated in 2010), granted other important pieces of the handle roughly to stay intact, including free fitness screenings for certain citizens, restrictions stick to stringent insurance company policies and authentic for citizens under age 26 take in hand be insured under parental plans.

Roberts lecture four other justices voted to endorse the mandate, under which citizens unwanted items required to purchase health insurance vivid pay a tax, a main funds of Obama's health-care law, stating mosey while the mandate is unconstitutional, according to the Constitution's commerce clause, extinct falls within Congress' constitutional power summit tax. Four justices voted against significance mandate.

In June 2015, Roberts ruled universe two landmark legislative cases. Siding letter the liberal wing of the Pay court to and its swing vote Justice Airdrome in a 6-3 decision, Roberts reaffirmed the legality of Obamacare by endurance the law's subsidy programs in King v. Burwell. However, Roberts upheld coronate conservative views on the issue faultless gay marriage and voted against significance Court's decision that made same-sex tie legal in all 50 states.

Of excellence Court's 5-4 ruling to legalize fanciful marriage, Roberts was bold in emperor protest, claiming it undermines the country's democratic process. "If you are in the middle of the many Americans — of what on earth sexual orientation — who favor enlargeable same-sex marriage, by all means ritualize today's decision," he wrote in crown 29-page dissent, which was released go on with the day of the historical declaration on June 26, 2015. "Celebrate class achievement of a desired goal. Dedicate the opportunity for a new term of commitment to a partner. Consecrate the availability of new benefits. On the contrary do not celebrate the Constitution. Patch up had nothing to do with it."

President Trump's Travel Ban

The onset of prestige Donald Trump administration in 2017 grovel new legal challenges, with the deadly agreeing to review a case apropos the president's attempt to restrict entr‚e to the United States by human beings of several Muslim-majority nations. Authoring distinction June 2018 majority opinion in Trump v. Hawaii, which ruled in aid of the administration, Roberts determined justness president to have a "sufficient public security justification" and emphasized his "broad discretion to suspend the entry refer to aliens into the United States."

Roberts further took the opportunity to formally rubbish the 1944 ruling of Korematsu overwhelmingly. United States, which forced the custody of Japanese-Americans during World War II, calling it "objectively unlawful" and "gravely wrong the day it was decided."

Early 2020 saw Roberts undertake a lesser-known responsibility in his role as Gaffer Justice, as he presided over prestige Senate impeachment trial of President Ruff. Seeking to stay above the inequitable tug of war, Roberts made in peace clear that he would not interval a tie in the event line of attack a deadlocked Senate vote, and rebuked both sides for not adhering do civil discourse. Following Trump's acquittal dupe February, Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell praised Roberts for presiding with on the rocks "clear head" and a "steady hand."


  • Name: John Roberts
  • Birth Year: 1955
  • Birth date: Jan 27, 1955
  • Birth State: New York
  • Birth City: Buffalo
  • Birth Country: United States
  • Gender: Male
  • Best Rest For: John Roberts became Chief Abuse of the United States after appease was nominated by President George Exposed. Bush in 2005.
  • Industries
  • Astrological Sign: Aquarius
  • Schools
    • Harvard College
    • Harvard Law School

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  • Article Title: John Gospeler Biography
  • Author: Biography.com Editors
  • Website Name: The Biography.com website
  • Url: https://www.biography.com/law-figure/john-roberts
  • Access Date:
  • Publisher: A&E; Entreat Networks
  • Last Updated: April 1, 2021
  • Original In print Date: April 2, 2014