Samuel J. Roberts (February 18, 1907 – June 5, 1987) was a justice of the

Supreme Court of Pennsylvania The Supreme Court of Pennsylvania is the highest court in the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Pennsylvania's Judiciary of Pennsylvania, Unified Judicial System. It began in 1684 as the Provincial Court, and casual references to it as ...

from 1963 to 1983 and chief justice from 1983 to 1984.

Biography

Born on February 18, 1907, in

Brooklyn Brooklyn is a Boroughs of New York City, borough of New York City located at the westernmost end of Long Island in the New York (state), State of New York. Formerly an independent city, the borough is coextensive with Kings County, one of twelv ...

New York New York most commonly refers to: * New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States * New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York New York may also refer to: Places United Kingdom * ...

, Samuel J. Roberts moved to

Erie, Pennsylvania Erie is a city on the south shore of Lake Erie and the county seat of Erie County, Pennsylvania, United States. It is the List of municipalities in Pennsylvania, fifth-most populous city in Pennsylvania and the most populous in Northwestern Pen ...

, in his childhood. After graduating Academy High School, he attended the

University of Pennsylvania The University of Pennsylvania (Penn or UPenn) is a Private university, private Ivy League research university in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States. One of nine colonial colleges, it was chartered in 1755 through the efforts of f ...

, earning a B.S. degree in 1928, followed by an

LL.B. A Bachelor of Laws (; LLB) is an undergraduate law degree offered in most common law countries as the primary law degree and serves as the first professional qualification for legal practitioners. This degree requires the study of core legal subje ...

degree from the

University of Pennsylvania Law School The University of Pennsylvania Carey Law School (also known as Penn Carey Law, or Penn Law; previously University of Pennsylvania Law School) is the law school of the University of Pennsylvania, a private Ivy League research university in Phi ...

in 1931. While in law school, he served as editor of the

University of Pennsylvania Law Review The ''University of Pennsylvania Law Review'', formerly known as the ''American Law Register'', is a law review published by an organization of second and third year J.D. students at the University of Pennsylvania Law School. It is the oldest law ...

. He was admitted to the Pennsylvania bar. Roberts served as an

Assistant District Attorney In the United States, a district attorney (DA), county attorney, county prosecutor, state attorney, state's attorney, prosecuting attorney, commonwealth's attorney, or solicitor is the chief prosecutor or chief law enforcement officer represe ...

and Special Deputy Attorney General of Pennsylvania before serving as a lieutenant commander in the

United States Navy The United States Navy (USN) is the naval warfare, maritime military branch, service branch of the United States Department of Defense. It is the world's most powerful navy with the largest Displacement (ship), displacement, at 4.5 millio ...

during

World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

. After the war, Roberts became Judge of the Orphans Court of

Erie County, Pennsylvania Erie County is the northernmost county in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. As of the 2020 census, the population was 270,876. Its county seat is Erie. The county was created in 1800 and later organized in 1803. The county is part of the Nort ...

, in 1952 and was elected to a full ten-year term in 1953. In 1962, he was elected to the Supreme Court of Pennsylvania; he was the third PA Supreme Court Justice from Erie County. He assumed office as an associate justice in January 1963 and served in that capacity until ascending to become the 53rd Chief Justice of the Pennsylvania Supreme Court in 1983. He served as chief justice until 1984, after which he served as a Senior Judge of the

Superior Court of Pennsylvania The Superior Court of Pennsylvania is one of two Pennsylvania intermediate appellate courts (the other being the Commonwealth Court of Pennsylvania). It is based in Harrisburg. Jurisdiction The Superior Court hears appeals in criminal and mos ...

. Roberts wrote about 1,200 majority/plurality opinions, 500 concurring opinions, and 700 dissents during his tenure as a PA Supreme Court Justice and chief justice. During his career, he also served as Professor of Constitutional Democracy at

Gannon University Gannon University is a private Catholic university with campuses in Erie, Pennsylvania, and Ruskin, Florida, United States. Established in 1925, Gannon University enrolls approximately 4,600 undergraduate and graduate students annually. Its i ...

. He served as a trustee of Gannon, the

Philadelphia College of Osteopathic Medicine Philadelphia College of Osteopathic Medicine (PCOM) is a Private university, private medical school with its main campus in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, and additional locations in Suwanee, Georgia (PCOM Georgia) and Moultrie, Georgia (PCOM Sout ...

and on the President's Council at

Villa Maria College Villa Maria College is a private Catholic college in Buffalo, New York, United States. It was founded in 1961 by the Felician Sisters. History The college was initially a teacher-training center for sisters in the education apostolate and wa ...

. Roberts died on June 5, 1987, in

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Roberts, Samuel J. 1907 births 1987 deaths Justices of the Supreme Court of Pennsylvania Pennsylvania lawyers University of Pennsylvania Law School alumni Gannon University faculty United States Navy personnel of World War II United States Navy officers 20th-century Pennsylvania state court judges 20th-century American lawyers