Richard Roberts

Born: June 21, 1953
New York, New York

Richard W. Roberts

Judge, U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia

Nominated by William J. Clinton on January 27, 1998, to a seat vacated by Charles R. Richey. Confirmed by the Senate on June 5, 1998, and received commission on June 23, 1998. Served as chief judge, 2013-2016. Assumed senior status due to certified disability on March 16, 2016.

Education:

Vassar College, A.B., 1974
School for International Training (now SIT Graduate Institute), M.I.A., 1975
Columbia Law School, J.D., 1978

Simmie Knox was born on August 18, 1935, in Aliceville, Alabama. As a young child he loved to make little sketches. Upon graduating from high school, Mr. Know spent several years in the military, and then attended Delaware State College as a biology major. He did some wonderful sketch of microorganisms and a professor recommended that he take art classes.

After completing his studies at the University of Delaware in 1967, Knox enrolled at the Tyler School of Art at Temple University where he earned a bachelor and master’s degrees in fine arts. His portrait of abolitionist Fredrick Douglas in 1976 is part of the collection at the Smithsonian Institution. In addition, he held many teaching positions, including being an instructor at Duke Ellington School of the Arts in Washington, D.C. from 1975 to 1980.

Mr. Knox’s work is exhibited in the White House, the U.S. Senate, in courthouses, schools, museums, and private collections across the country.

Read Judge Roberts’ Oral History

Professional Career:

Trial attorney, Criminal Section, Civil Rights Division, U.S. Department of Justice, 1978-1982
Private practice, Washington, D.C., 1982-1986
Assistant U.S. attorney, Southern District of New York, 1986-1988
Assistant U.S. attorney, District of Columbia, 1988-1995; principal assistant U.S. attorney, 1993-1995
Chief, Criminal Section, Civil Rights Division, U.S. Department of Justice, 1995-1998
Member, Judicial Conference of the United States, 2013-2016

Judges of the D.C. Circuit Courts