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John Roberts was born in Buffalo, New York, on January 27th, 1955, and was raised in the Midwest, primarily Indiana. His father, John Roberts, Sr., was a plant manager for Bethelem Steel and his mother Rosemary (nee' Podrasky) was the granddaughter of immigrants from Czechoslovakia. After graduating first in his class from La Lumiere, a small Catholic boarding school, Roberts attended Harvard College for three years, from which he graduated summa cum laude in 1976. Three years later, Roberts received his Juris Doctorate from Harvard Law School, where he was editing manager of the Harvard Law Review. After graduating from Harvard Law magna cum laude, he clerked on the U.S. 2nd Court of Appeals for the legendary judge Henry Friendly. The following year, Roberts scored a clerkship with William Rehnquist, who at this time was Associate Justice of the U.S. Supreme Court. From 1981 to 1982, Roberts later worked in the U.S. Department of Justice during the beginning of President Ronald Reagan's first term, then transferred to the White House Counsel's office, where he served until 1986. That year, he joined the prestigious Washington, D.C. law firm of Hogan & Hartson, specializing in appellate work for the U.S. Supreme Court. Roberts was very well known for thoroughly preparing for his Supreme Courts appearances, often doing three Moot Court run-thorough to anticipate and prepare for questions. Never flustered at the lectern, and known for making razor-sharp and nearly perfect legal briefs, Roberts was in high demand for his legal skills, earning an annual salary of over $1 million. In 2001, newly elected President George W. Bush nominated Roberts for a position of the U.S. District of Columbia Circuit Court of Appeals. His nomination languished for two years, as Democrats controlled the U.S. Senate and refused to hold confirmation hearings for him and some other Bush nominees. However, in the 2002 Congressional elections, Republicans regained control of the U.S. Senate and Roberts was quickly re-nominated and confirmed. On that court, Roberts was known for his willingness to critique even minor errors in attorneys' briefs - even when he agreed with the point of view presented.
On July 1, 2005, Sandra Day O'Connor, an Associate Justice on the U.S. Supreme Court, announced her retirement and President Bush, having been reelected in 2004, quickly chose Roberts to be her successor. However, on September 3 of that same year, Chief Justice William Rehnquest, whom Roberts had once worked for, died of cancer. Bush quickly chose Roberts to be Chief Justice, withdrawing his nomination for Associate Justice, whom he eventually nominated Samuel Alito for. The confirmation hearings were not especially contentious, as Roberts views were believed to be similar to Rehnquest's and because Roberts was so well-regarded in the legal community. Democrats still pressed Roberts as to what kind of Chief Justice he would be, and he claimed that he would be like an umpire at a game, making judgments only on the basis of the rules. He was confirmed by a vote of 78 to 22.
Roberts is also listed as a member of the "Federalist Society," a conservative law society. He is married and has two adopted children.
