Roger Robb

Roger Robb
Senior Judge of the United States Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit
In office May 31, 1982 – December 19, 1985
Judge of the United States Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit
In office May 6, 1969 – May 31, 1982
Appointed by	Richard Nixon
Preceded by	John A. Danaher
Succeeded by	Antonin Scalia
Personal details
Born	(1907-07-07)July 7, 1907 Bellows Falls, Vermont, U.S.
Died	December 19, 1985(1985-12-19) (aged 78) Washington, D.C., U.S.
Political party	Republican
Parent	Charles Henry Robb (father)
Education	Yale University (BA, LLB)

Roger Robb (July 7, 1907 – December 19, 1985) was a United States circuit judge of the United States Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit and trial attorney. He served as special counsel to an Atomic Energy Commission hearing that led to revocation of J. Robert Oppenheimer's security clearance in 1954.

Robb was born in Bellows Falls, Vermont, the son of Court of Appeals Judge Charles Henry Robb. He received a Bachelor of Arts degree from Yale University in 1928. He received a Bachelor of Laws from Yale Law School in 1931. He was an Assistant United States Attorney for the District of Columbia from 1931 to 1938.^[1]

Robb was in private practice in Washington, D.C. from 1938 to 1969.^[1]

Robb was the court-appointed attorney for Earl Browder, a leader of the Communist Party, in a Contempt of Congress case in 1950, earning praise from Browder despite their political differences. He also successfully defended Otto Otepka, a former State Department official accused of giving unauthorized material to a Senate committee.^[2]

Robb was special counsel to the Atomic Energy Commission at an AEC hearing on the loyalty of J. Robert Oppenheimer, the director of the Manhattan Project. Over the course of four weeks, Robb and the AEC panel interrogated Oppenheimer and other witnesses on his past affiliations with Communists, with Robb using harsh prosecutorial tactics. One observer commented that Robb "did not treat Oppenheimer as a witness in his own case, but as a person charged with high treason." The board ultimately voted 2–1 to strip Oppenheimer of his security clearance.^[3]

In 1969, Robb represented Barry Goldwater in his libel suit against Ralph Ginzburg and Fact magazine, which had claimed that Goldwater was mentally unstable. The jury awarded Goldwater $1 in compensatory damages and $75,000 in punitive damages, which was upheld on appeal.^[4][5]

Robb was nominated by President Richard Nixon on April 23, 1969, to a seat on the United States Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit vacated by Judge John A. Danaher. He was confirmed by the United States Senate on May 5, 1969, and received his commission on May 6, 1969. He assumed senior status on May 31, 1982, and was succeeded by Judge Antonin Scalia. His service was terminated when he died on December 19, 1985.^[1]

Robb was married three times. His first two wives, Mary Ernst Cooper and Lillian Nordstrom predeceased him. His third wife Irene Rice, survived him. He had a son. His grandson is the writer Daniel Robb.^[2]

On television, Robb was portrayed by Philip O'Brien in the final episode of the 1980 BBC miniseries Oppenheimer, and by Michael Cumpsty in The Trials of J. Robert Oppenheimer, a 2009 episode of the PBS series The American Experience.^[6]

Jason Clarke played Robb in Christopher Nolan's 2023 film Oppenheimer.^[7]

• Roger Robb at the Biographical Directory of Federal Judges, a publication of the Federal Judicial Center.
• Bird, Kai (2005). American Prometheus: The Triumph and Tragedy of J. Robert Oppenheimer. New York: Alfred A. Knopf. ISBN 0-375-41202-6..
• Stern, Philip M. (1969). The Oppenheimer Case: Security on Trial. New York: Harper & Row. ISBN 0-246-64035-9.