David Glendenning Roberts (July 17, 1928 – January 26, 1999), of Portland, Maine, was a justice of the

Maine Supreme Judicial Court The Maine Supreme Judicial Court is the highest court in the state of Maine's judicial system. It is composed of seven justices, who are appointed by the Governor and confirmed by the Maine Senate. From 1820 until 1839, justices served lifetime a ...

from January 11, 1980, to August 31, 1998. Born in

Penobscot County, Maine Penobscot County is a county in the U.S. state of Maine, named for the Penobscot Nation on Wabanakik. As of the 2020 census, the population was 152,199. Its county seat is Bangor. The county was established on February 15, 1816, from part of ...

,"Justice David G. Roberts", ''

The Bangor Daily News The ''Bangor Daily News'' is an American newspaper covering a large portion of central and eastern Maine, published six days per week in Bangor, Maine. The ''Bangor Daily News'' was founded on June 18, 1889; it merged with the ''Bangor Whig and ...

'' (January 28, 1999), page 8. he attended the Mount Hermon School for Boys in Gill, Massachusetts and received an undergraduate degree from

Bowdoin College Bowdoin College ( ) is a private liberal arts college in Brunswick, Maine. When Bowdoin was chartered in 1794, Maine was still a part of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. The college offers 34 majors and 36 minors, as well as several joint eng ...

in 1950, and a law degree from

Boston University School of Law Boston University School of Law (Boston Law or BU Law) is the law school of Boston University, a private research university in Boston, Massachusetts. It is consistently ranked among the top law schools in the United States and considered an eli ...

in 1956. He "served in the

United States Army The United States Army (USA) is the land service branch of the United States Armed Forces. It is one of the eight U.S. uniformed services, and is designated as the Army of the United States in the U.S. Constitution.Article II, section 2, cla ...

from September 1951 to October 1953 and was stationed in both Japan and Korea". He became a lieutenant."Caribou Attorney Seeks Democratic Nod"
''

Portland Press Herald The ''Portland Press Herald/Maine Sunday Telegram'' is a morning daily newspaper with a website that serves southern Maine and is focused on the greater metropolitan area around Portland, Maine, in the United States. Founded in 1862, its roots e ...

'', Portland, Maine, volume 98, number 219, March 3, 1960, page 1. Roberts "began his law practice in

Caribou Reindeer (in North American English, known as caribou if wild and ''reindeer'' if domesticated) are deer in the genus ''Rangifer''. For the last few decades, reindeer were assigned to one species, ''Rangifer tarandus'', with about 10 subspe ...

in 1960, then shortly afterwards moved to Bangor". From 1961 to 1966, Roberts served as an assistant

United States Attorney United States attorneys are officials of the U.S. Department of Justice who serve as the chief federal law enforcement officers in each of the 94 U.S. federal judicial districts. Each U.S. attorney serves as the United States' chief federal c ...

for District of Maine.David Rawson, "Roberts named to court", ''

'' (December 1, 1979), page 29. In 1967, Roberts was appointed as a Maine Superior Court judge. On November 30, 1979, Governor

Joseph E. Brennan Joseph Edward Brennan (born November 2, 1934) is an American Democratic Party lawyer and politician from Maine. He served as the 70th Governor of Maine from 1979 to 1987. He is a former commissioner on the Federal Maritime Commission. Early lif ...

named Roberts to the Maine Supreme Judicial Court. In 1980, President

Jimmy Carter James Earl Carter Jr. (born October 1, 1924) is an American politician who served as the 39th president of the United States from 1977 to 1981. A member of the Democratic Party (United States), Democratic Party, he previously served as th ...

nominated Roberts to a seat on the

United States District Court for the District of Maine The U.S. District Court for the District of Maine (in case citations, D. Me.) is the U.S. district court for the state of Maine. The District of Maine was one of the original thirteen district courts established by the Judiciary Act of 178 ...

vacated by

George J. Mitchell George John Mitchell Jr. (born August 20, 1933) is an American politician, diplomat, and lawyer. A leading member of the Democratic Party, he served as a United States senator from Maine from 1980 to 1995, and as Senate Majority Leader from 198 ...

, but Carter's term as president expired without a vote on confirmation being taken. Roberts remained on the state supreme court until his retirement on August 31, 1998. Roberts was killed in an automobile accident in Portland, Maine, less than six months after retiring from the court.

References

1928 births 1999 deaths 20th-century American judges People from Penobscot County, Maine Bowdoin College alumni Boston University School of Law alumni United States Army officers Justices of the Maine Supreme Judicial Court {{Maine-state-judge-stub